Overview

The epic story of the next space race is happening right before our eyes-driven by rival nations, billionaire-funded ventures, and breakthrough technologies once thought impossible-all vying to steer the future of humankind. The next space race has arrived-driven by rival nations, billionaire-funded ventures, and breakthrough technologies all vying to alter the balance of power on Earth and beyond. ""This isn't science fiction; it's the blueprint for the world we're about to inherit."" -Ali Velshi, NBC News senior economic and business correspondent and anchor for MS NOW In 2024, the Odysseus lander touched down near the south pole of the Moon. It was the first lunar landing by Americans in more than half a century-and the first ever by a private company. ""Odie"" embodied the ambitions of a new genera-tion of space entrepreneurs, as well as Washington's bid to challenge a rising Beijing. A gateway to interplanetary explo-ration and conquest, the Moon is now also open for busi-ness, and the race to level up technology, secure resources, and build off-world infrastructure has begun. First place isn't just a symbolic win, but a strategic path to influence and control. The United States, although turbo-charged by tech elites, risks being outpaced by China, which increasingly aligns commercial enterprise with national secu-rity. Not far behind are Russia, India, Japan, and the Euro-pean Union. In Open Space, journalist and space industry analyst David Ariosto gives us a front-row seat to the future. With unprecedented access, he recounts the split-second deci-sions in mission control and hold-your-breath moments on the launch pad. He travels from research labs orchestrating our planetary defense to an antimatter factory and the Mars Desert Research Station, where scientists imagine how an off-world colony might survive (it involves a diet of bugs). He probes inside the Chinese space sector itself, meeting with key figures and companies and traveling to a remote military station in South America. In this global odyssey, we meet the visionaries who are dreaming up the future and the engineers and physicists who are making science fiction a reality. After millennia of gazing up at the stars, humanity is now forging the tools to travel among them. Propulsive, awe-inspiring, and poignant, Open Space charts this epic journey to the final frontier and looks for our place within it.

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Reviews

“Ariosto’s account of these intersections of space science, business, and global politics is deeply reported and well written.” —Kirkus Reviews “Ariosto cuts through the noise to show what actually matters in the new space age: who builds the architecture, who stays long enough to shape the environment, and who defines the rules others must live with. This isn’t just a book about rockets. It’s about power, institutions, and the future map of the solar system.” —Dr. Bhavya Lal, former NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, and Professor of Space Policy at the RAND School of Public Policy “A delightful and compelling story-driven map for our future. It’s one that delves into not only our own endeavors in space, but also those of potential adversaries. But in the end, it is about our shared—and inevitable—human journey beyond our planet.” —Lt. Gen. John Shaw, U.S. Space Force (ret.), and former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command “Open Space transports you into the new space age: a world of high-stakes moonshots, geopolitical ambitions, and bold engineering, fueling humanity’s drive beyond Earth. With sharp insights and compelling storytelling, it’s a rare book that makes the future of space feel close enough to touch and too fascinating to ignore.” —Dr. Namrata Goswami, Professor of Space Security, USSF-Johns Hopkins University “Open Space illuminates the high-stakes contest unfolding above us—and the people quietly steering it. A breathtaking glimpse into the breakthroughs and choices that will define humanity’s next chapter.” —Dr. Mamta Patel Nagaraja, former NASA Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research “A rare achievement: a book that captures not only the drama of rockets and landers, but the deeper human story of why we reach for the stars at all. It is also a sweeping, deeply reported account of how the new space race will shape the world’s balance of power, its energy systems, data networks, and democratic resilience. Open Space makes the case, persuasively and passionately, that space is not a spectacle but a strategic frontier that will define the century ahead. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the blueprint for the world we’re about to inherit.” —Ali Velshi, NBC News Senior Economic and Business Correspondent, and Anchor for MS NOW. “Like the great space books of the last 50 years, Open Space spotlights the human stories—not just the missions—shaping the next iteration of the space industry.” —Mike Gruss, Space News Chief Content and Strategy Officer “A must-read. Ariosto connects the dots well beyond moon landings and delves into a future where we're not only exploring and competing in space, but also creating a new home for AI.” —Sunny Hostin, Co-Host of ABC's The View “Open Space calls upon us to learn from history and choose a different future together—one built on collaboration over competition, and mutual survival instead of tribal positioning. David Ariosto shows us that humanity is at its best when exploring and thriving, rather than turned inward and stumbling, offering plenty to ponder as today's space race hits warp speed.” —Ashley Johnson, President and CFO of Planet Labs PBC “A great read. Ariosto takes a complicated complex of topics—technology, history, big power competition, the physics of the stars and planets— and turns them into a narrative about a contest among nations, one that reads like a spy thriller. Indeed, spies are part of the story. For anyone who wants to catch up on where the space race has been—and even more where it's going—Open Space delivers the whole story with a contagious sense of wonder about what is possible and probably inevitable.” —John Donvan, Moderator-in-Chief, Open to Debate on NPR

“Ariosto cuts through the noise to show what actually matters in the new space age: who builds the architecture, who stays long enough to shape the environment, and who defines the rules others must live with. This isn’t just a book about rockets. It’s about power, institutions, and the future map of the solar system. If you believe, as I do, that we should be bringing the solar system into our sphere—before someone else does it for us—start here.” —Dr. Bhavya Lal, former NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, and Professor of Space Policy at the RAND School of Public Policy “A delightful and compelling story-driven map for our future. It’s one that delves into not only our own endeavors in space but also those of potential adversaries. But in the end, it is about our shared—and inevitable—human journey beyond our planet.” —Lt. Gen. John Shaw, U.S. Space Force (ret.), and former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command “Open Space transports you into the new space age: a world of high-stakes moonshots, geopolitical ambitions, and bold engineering, fueling humanity’s drive beyond Earth. With sharp insights and compelling storytelling, it’s a rare book that makes the future of space feel close enough to touch and too fascinating to ignore.” —Dr. Namrata Goswami, Professor of Space Security, USSF-Johns Hopkins University “Open Space illuminates the high-stakes contest unfolding above us—and the people quietly steering it. A breathtaking glimpse into the breakthroughs and choices that will define humanity’s next chapter.” —Dr. Mamta Patel Nagaraja, former NASA Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research “Like the great space books of the last 50 years, Open Space spotlights the human stories—not just the missions—shaping the next iteration of the space industry.” —Mike Gruss, Space News Chief Content and Strategy Officer “Open Space takes us back through history to see how the current environment in space technologies is not dissimilar from the advancements, politics and fears of the past. It calls upon us to learn from this history and choose a different future together—one built on collaboration over competition, and mutual survival instead of tribal positioning. David Ariosto shows us that humanity is at its best when exploring and thriving, rather than turned inward and stumbling, offering plenty to ponder as today’s space race hits warp speed.” —Ashley Johnson, President and CFO of Planet Labs PBC “Open Space is a rare achievement: a book that captures not only the drama of rockets and landers, but the deeper human story of why we reach for the stars at all. It is also a clear-eyed map of a rapidly changing cosmos; a sweeping, deeply reported account of how the new space race, from private landers on the lunar south pole to China’s state-driven “eternal dream,” will shape the world’s balance of power, its energy systems, its data networks, and its democratic resilience. Ariosto reminds us that exploration isn’t escapism; it’s agency— a deliberate choice to keep reaching outward when the world below feels small, divided, and inward-looking. This book makes the case, persuasively and passionately, that space is not a spectacle but a strategic frontier that will define the century ahead. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the blueprint for the world we’re about to inherit.” —Ali Velshi, NBC News Senior Economic and Business Correspondent, and Anchor for MS NOW “This must-read connects-the-dots well beyond moon landings and delves into a future where we’re not only exploring and competing in space, but also creating a new home for AI.” —Sunny Hostin, Co-Host of ABC’s The View “Open Space is a great read. It takes a complicated complex of topics—technology, history, big power competition, the physics of the stars and planets—and turns them into a narrative about a contest among nations, one that reads like a spy thriller. Indeed, spies are part of the story. For anyone who wants to catch up on where the space race has been—and even more where it’s going—David Ariosto delivers the whole story with a contagious sense of wonder about what is possible and probably inevitable.” —John Donvan, Moderator-in-Chief, Open to Debate on NPR

Author Information

DAVID ARIOSTO is a seasoned journalist, space industry analyst, and co-host of the podcast Space Minds on SpaceNews. He is also a columnist at Aerospace America, SpaceNews, and Noema Magazine and a visiting scholar at Arizona State University's Interplanetary Initiative. His debut book, This Is Cuba- An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow, was published in 2018 by St. Martin's Press and was highly acclaimed by The Washington Post and USA Today. He resides in Arizona with his daughter, Rosie, and their dog, Cali.

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