In September 2008, SpaceX’s last Falcon 1 rocket lifted off . . . and accelerated like a dream, easily soaring into orbit as if it had done so thousands of times before. This jump-started a miraculous decade—from 2008 to 2018—during which SpaceX went from a single-engine rocket to one with a staggering 27 engines, while also building two different spacecraft and mastering reusable-rocket descents onto mobile drone ships maneuvering on the open seas. Such a flourishing of spaceflight achievement has not been seen since the 1960s space race. . Drawing on unparalleled access and exclusive interviews, Berger brings us inside SpaceX to reveal the full narrative of this foundational generation, telling the stories of the pioneering team that grew SpaceX from nothing, survived three straight failures, and lifted SpaceX from mockery to ascendancy in space exploration.