Check out more newsletters To be sure, there were setbacks, notably two (non-fatal) disasters that grounded its Falcon 9 for more than a year, but overall, the rate of progress from 2012 until today was remarkable: In the last decade, the company mastered reusable rockets, launched Starlink, built and flew the biggest rocket ever, and began ferrying astronauts to the ISS. Musk remains at center stage throughout, pushing his team and reminding them of the bigger mission. “We are not going to Mars in my lifetime, or yours, if we don’t get our act together and take this first step,” Musk said after another failed attempt at re-entry.. SpaceX-watchers suggest that the only thing that could impact the company’s future is Musk himself — and his penchant for distractions. GC Images For all the well-earned controversy about Musk, one can’t question his sincerity around space. He is clearly driven by a bigger purpose: if SpaceX makes a boatload of money, but doesn’t reach Mars, the company has failed, in Musk’s eyes. Nothing feels unachievable at SpaceX, which is perhaps why it appears capable of doing the impossible. Berger is a veteran space reporter and the senior space editor at the tech news site Ars Technica with a scientific mind who clearly relishes the technical nuts and bolts of rocketry. Readers will learn how SpaceX keeps rocket fuel in a stable state, so it doesn’t explode on the launchpad and how to recover a capsule from the ocean without losing the spacecraft at sea. An image from Nasa of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft close to the International Space Station in April 2024. NASA/AFP via Getty Images You’ll learn how adjustable “Grid-fins” help stabilize the spacecraft on re-entry and how laser guidance systems (LIDAR) can help two spacecraft dock seamlessly as they hurtle through space. Or how to 3D print a space helmet and how to manufacture rocket fuel on Mars. Reentry is a blast (pun intended), but it ends on a cautionary note. SpaceX has not lost its founder mentality, Berger writes, but he worries Musk may be getting distracted from the bigger mission. Referring to Musk’s Twitter purchase and his recent inflammatory political comments, Berger asks, “What the hell are you doing, Elon?” After reading about what Musk was able to achieve in the two decades before buying Twitter, you may find yourself asking the same thing.