In 2003 HobbySpace presented a serialized version of the book The Rocket Company by Patrick J. G. Stiennon and David M. Hoerr , with illustrations by Doug Birkholz. Subsequently, the book was accepted for publication by the AIAA and released in the summer of 2005. The printed version contained revised and updated materials, a new chapter, and over 30 illustrations.
The Rocket Company is a fictional account of the development of a commercial two stage to orbit (TSTO) reusable launch vehicle (RLV). Included is a description of the business model devised by a group of seven fictional investors committed to creating an economic engine that will cause the cost of space transportation to spiral rapidly downward as the market for launch services expands. In this context, the marketing, regulatory, and technical problems facing any serious attempt to reduce the cost of space transportation are explored. Although a work of fiction, the book follows in the vein of non-fictional accounts of the development of successful technological products and businesses, such as The Soul of a New Machine, and American Steel.
To bring more readers to the book, and to the ideas it offers for space transport development and business model, the authors are offering free access today to the updated electronic version of the book: The Rocket Company eBook by Patrick Stiennon, David Hoerr, Peter Diamandis, Doug Birkhol: Kindle Store/Amazon.com
In addition, the authors are letting me temporarily re-serialize the updated version. Today you can obtain here the following sections of the book: