When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach

Written by Ashlee Vance

Narrated by Ashlee Vance and Robert Petkoff

A momentous look at the private companies building a revolutionary new economy in space, from the New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk

In When the Heavens Went on Sale, Ashlee Vance illuminates our future and unveils the next big technology story of our time: welcome to the Wild West of aerospace engineering and its unprecedented impact on our lives.

With the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket in 2008, Silicon Valley began to realize that the universe itself was open for business. Now, Vance tells the remarkable, unfolding story of this frenzied intergalactic land grab by following four pioneering companies—Astra, Firefly, Planet Labs, and Rocket Lab—as they build new space systems and attempt to launch rockets and satellites into orbit by the thousands.

With the public fixated on the space tourism being driven by the likes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson, these new, scrappy companies arrived with a different set of goals: to make rocket and satellite launches fast and cheap, thereby opening Earth’s lower orbit for business. Vance has had a front-row seat and singular access to this peculiar and unprecedented moment in history, and he chronicles it all in full color: the top-secret launch locations, communes, gun-toting bodyguards, drugs, espionage investigations, and multimillionaires guzzling booze to dull the pain as their fortunes disappear.

Through immersive and intimate reporting, When the Heavens Went on Sale reveals the spectacular chaos of the new business of space, and what happens when the idealistic, ambitious minds of Silicon Valley turn their unbridled vision toward the limitless expanse of the stars. This is the tale of technology’s most pressing and controversial revolution, as told through fascinating characters chasing unimaginable stakes in the race to space.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9780062998910

Ashlee Vance

Ashlee Vance is the New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk and a feature writer at Bloomberg Businessweek. He's also the host of Hello World, a travel show that centers on inventors and scientists all over the planet. Previously, he worked as a reporter for The New York Times, The Economist, and The Register. 

Reviews for When the Heavens Went on Sale

[Benjamin Birch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really interesting book! I never knew a lot of this information about all of these space guys!

[Matthew Ehrenberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The stories about the individual gonzo rocketeers gave this book the appeal and grip of fiction.

[Bennett Snyder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solid book. Really appreciated the sections about Ames, Planet Lab and Rocket Labs, and how they weave together the stories of the individuals with the overarching narrative. The last two sections aren't quite as engaging for me, but overall really enjoyed it.