The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos

Washington Post journalist Davenport (As You Were) tells the story of four billionaires who are each trying to build a commercial spaceship: Elon Musk (SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), and Paul Allen (StratoLaunch). Each has a distinct vision of how to get to space and what to do once they arrive. Musk believes his company will transport people to Mars in the next decade. Bezos aims for people to live aboard space stations or ships in the solar system. Branson's goal is for customers to pay to visit space for a short time each trip, while Allen seeks to build a large ship so he can later deploy smaller satellites into space. Davenport interviews each of the billionaires and some executives, telling their stories in an entertaining way as he intertwines the men's accomplishments. His descriptions of the launches, landings, successes, and failures are thrilling. Includes a time line of major events and a listing of notes.