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Privatizing Space: An Illustrated History of The Quest to Affordable and Profitable Spaceflight
This book is a fast-paced account supported by striking, compelling renderings of how spaceflight has been forever changed since NASA heralded the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program on January 18th, 2006. Spaceflight was once a clunky affair, ruled by inefficient cost-plus models that gravely hampered the rapid pace of innovation while extorting a tremendous ransom to the taxpayers.
In a single volume, you will embark on a thrilling journey of how major and lesser-known launcher and spacecraft manufacturers have devoted their resources to bring forward a vision of profit by rapid innovation offering transportation services from LEO through cis-lunar space and beyond Earth’s sphere of influence. This book recognizes NASA's COTS program as a pivot point in the history of the space agency and worldwide space industry and charts two story arcs, before COTS (BC) and after COTS (AC). The reader will understand how much the space industry has benefitted from the introduction of COTS in the pursuit of making humankind a spacefaring civilization.
This book will feature numerous stunning, original illustrations, cross sections, close-up views and many more, meticulously crafted by renowned space artist Giuseppe De Chiara. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and these stunning images will capture the reader offering an exclusive intellectual experience.
In a single volume, you will embark on a thrilling journey of how major and lesser-known launcher and spacecraft manufacturers have devoted their resources to bring forward a vision of profit by rapid innovation offering transportation services from LEO through cis-lunar space and beyond Earth’s sphere of influence. This book recognizes NASA's COTS program as a pivot point in the history of the space agency and worldwide space industry and charts two story arcs, before COTS (BC) and after COTS (AC). The reader will understand how much the space industry has benefitted from the introduction of COTS in the pursuit of making humankind a spacefaring civilization.
This book will feature numerous stunning, original illustrations, cross sections, close-up views and many more, meticulously crafted by renowned space artist Giuseppe De Chiara. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and these stunning images will capture the reader offering an exclusive intellectual experience.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2025
About the author
Giuseppe De Chiara
9 books1 followerHello, I'm Giuseppe De Chiara, and I'm Italian from the beutiful town of Naples, currently I'm living in Caserta with my wife Annamaria and my daughter Nicole. I'm an aerospace illustrator, and I contributed to several aeronautcs and space books in the last 15 years.
My first book as co-author, due out in September 2018, is Spacecraft: 100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites that Put Us in Space (Voyageur Press, Quarto Publishing Group, 2018).
Spacecraft is aimed to commemorate two of the most historic events of the space age: the 60th anniversary of the founding of NASA in 2018, and in 2019, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11—the first landing by human beings on the Moon. I've contributed with over 300 , original artworks while my co-author Micheal Gorn has written the enlightening and concise at the same time, historical profiles that accompany the images.
Spacecraft is an oversize, lavishly illustrated book that depicts the world’s great space vehicles, from Sputnik 1 in 1958 to the massive James Webb Space Telescope in 2020.
I earned a Degree in Architecture at the University of Naples "Federico II" with a Lunar Transportation System Architecture Thesis.
While I was a student I've also won the Euroavia Design Contest 1992, that allows me to participate to the Euroavia Desing Workshop '92 held in ESA/ESTEC (Noordwijck, NL) that really boosted my space career.
Soon after my graduation I had the immense lucky to start working for MARS (Microgravity Advanced Research Center) located in Naples (now part of Telespazio company). In my career I have designed experimental facilities for Parabolic Flight (I have experienced 6 parabolic flights with ESA Airbus A 300 ZEROG(, after I was involved into Scientific Astronaut Training for the FSL (Fluid Science Labooratory) of ESA, currently onboard the Columbus Laboratory as part of the International Space Station. I have also spent 5 years as Operations Leader of FSL itself and currently I'm a System Engineer.
I've also held spacecraft configuration lectures at Univesity of Naples "Federico II".
During the setup of such lessons I discovered that there was a lack of nice illustration of such astronautical subjects, so I decided to realize them by myself, starting my second and parallel career (in my spare time) as professional aerospace illustrator.
Each single artwork realized is sorce of great fun as satisfaction, I love drawing and feel tremendously lucky doing somethign that really likes me.
My passions inlcude, reading especially history and science fiction (hard), boardgaming, traveling and cooking (Italian food of course!).
My first book as co-author, due out in September 2018, is Spacecraft: 100 Iconic Rockets, Shuttles, and Satellites that Put Us in Space (Voyageur Press, Quarto Publishing Group, 2018).
Spacecraft is aimed to commemorate two of the most historic events of the space age: the 60th anniversary of the founding of NASA in 2018, and in 2019, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11—the first landing by human beings on the Moon. I've contributed with over 300 , original artworks while my co-author Micheal Gorn has written the enlightening and concise at the same time, historical profiles that accompany the images.
Spacecraft is an oversize, lavishly illustrated book that depicts the world’s great space vehicles, from Sputnik 1 in 1958 to the massive James Webb Space Telescope in 2020.
I earned a Degree in Architecture at the University of Naples "Federico II" with a Lunar Transportation System Architecture Thesis.
While I was a student I've also won the Euroavia Design Contest 1992, that allows me to participate to the Euroavia Desing Workshop '92 held in ESA/ESTEC (Noordwijck, NL) that really boosted my space career.
Soon after my graduation I had the immense lucky to start working for MARS (Microgravity Advanced Research Center) located in Naples (now part of Telespazio company). In my career I have designed experimental facilities for Parabolic Flight (I have experienced 6 parabolic flights with ESA Airbus A 300 ZEROG(, after I was involved into Scientific Astronaut Training for the FSL (Fluid Science Labooratory) of ESA, currently onboard the Columbus Laboratory as part of the International Space Station. I have also spent 5 years as Operations Leader of FSL itself and currently I'm a System Engineer.
I've also held spacecraft configuration lectures at Univesity of Naples "Federico II".
During the setup of such lessons I discovered that there was a lack of nice illustration of such astronautical subjects, so I decided to realize them by myself, starting my second and parallel career (in my spare time) as professional aerospace illustrator.
Each single artwork realized is sorce of great fun as satisfaction, I love drawing and feel tremendously lucky doing somethign that really likes me.
My passions inlcude, reading especially history and science fiction (hard), boardgaming, traveling and cooking (Italian food of course!).
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