Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
How Elon Musk and SpaceX overcame early problems to dominate the space industry – Interview with Eric Berger
Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2RjHgzS
Interview Timeline
Eric Berger is a Houston-based reporter and editor. He reported for the Houston Chronicle and is now the senior space editor for Ars Technica. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of Hurricane Ike and most recently wrote a book on the early days of SpaceX. We spoke about SpaceX, Elon Musk, the space industry, and his work. Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX (William Morrow, 2021)
0:37 – Eric talks about how he got into studying and writing about SpaceX.
1:22 – Eric talks about what the book focuses on.
3:13 – Eric talks about SpaceX in 2002.
5:10 – Eric talks about how Elon created his SpaceX engineering team.
6:15 – Eric talks about the legal and business environment in 2002 for SpaceX.
7:48 – Eric talks about the other companies that got DARPA grants.
8:17 – Eric talks about the small satellite launch industry in 2002.
9:56 – Eric talks about how Elon financed SpaceX.
12:17 – Eric talks about the obstacles SpaceX faced.
14:28 – Eric talks about Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.
16:49 – Eric talks about SpaceX’s worth.
17:59 – Eric talks about SpaceX’s use of old technology.
20:39 – Eric talks about Elon’s companies and his motivations.
22:45 – Eric talks about PayPal and Elon Musk.
23:59 – Eric talks about why Elon Musk was interested in SpaceX.
24:27 – Eric talks about Elon’s organizational skills and management abilities.
27:26 – Eric talks about personnel turnover at SpaceX.
28:09 – Eric talks about how he researched the book.
29:38 – Eric talks about Elon’s personality style.
32:19 – Eric talks about how closely SpaceX came to failure in the early days.
33:04 – Eric talks about Elon’s other plans and goals.
33:32 – Eric talks about NeuroLink.
34:11 – Eric talks about wanting to better understand how much Elon was involved in SpaceX at the start.
35:59 – Eric talks about their reusable rockets.
37:30 – Eric talks about their use of propulsion fuels.
38:28 – Eric talks about NASA’s space launch rocket.
40:09 – Eric talks about space debris.
41:34 – Eric talks about SpaceX and foreign space agencies.
43:20 – Eric talks about SpaceX and national security issues.
43:56 – Eric talks about ITAR and other issues.
45:06 – Eric talks about competition for the Moon and Mars.
45:55 – Eric talks about the style of the book.
51:15 – Eric talks about space stations and SpaceX.
52:38 – Eric can be found at arstechnica or on twitter @SciGuySpace.
Links of interest
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/liftoff-eric-berger?variant=32126620205090
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace
https://arstechnica.com/tag/space/
Contact Information
For more “Technology and Space” please follow me at technologyandspace.com or www.spacewalksmoneytalks.com , on Facebook at Spacewalks Money Talks, on twitter at SpacewalksMT, on youtube at Spacewalks Money Talks , and on Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts / Stitcher / Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.
Guests: Eric Berger
Host: Cris Alvarez
Tags: Books, space business, space history, space technology, manned space missions, space book, NASA history, podcast, William Morrow,
Check out the book here https://amzn.to/2RjHgzS
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
