Eric Berger and the Art of No-Hype Space Journalism.
Ars Technica’s Senior Space Editor has built a career on writing backed by clarity, skepticism, and a genuine love for what humanity can accomplish beyond Earth.
Rhys Bangeman – Oct 13, 2025
Berger looking snappy in a professional headshot. Credit: LinkedIn
While what goes on in space goes over many of our heads, Ars Technica’s Senior Space Editor Eric Berger keeps his eyes affixed towards the sky, whether through his longstanding, no-hype weather blog Space City Weather, or to report on the latest launches—or failures of America’s Space industry.
Berger’s career as a space aficionado did not start that way. Berger fell victim to the false advertising of the Astronomy major at the University of Texas at Austin, which promised space stuff but delivered mostly just high-level math and physics. Disillusioned with the reality of astronomy and daunted by calculus, Berger took to Mizzou for a master’s in journalism, which landed him at the Houston Chronicle’s science desk in 1998.
“At the Chronicle, I was specialized in science. I found it still wasn’t specialized enough,” Berger said, “I was covering nanotechnology, I was covering weather, I was covering space, I was covering biology, I was covering physics, I was covering engineering, all these sorts of topics.
“I just didn’t really feel comfortable until I started specializing and really going deep in that subject matter and becoming knowledgeable and bringing value.”
Despite Berger’s jack-of-all-trades role at the science desk preventing specialization, Berger’s work on weather still brought serious value. In 2008, the Chronicle’s coverage of Hurricane Ike, spearheaded by minute-to-minute online updates by Berger, was a Pulitzer Finalist for breaking news.
When the storm’s chaos sent readers searching for information, he made sure to report two things plainly: what was happening and how to stay safe. The conversational tone and adept translation of weather data were invaluable for all seeking information on the storm.
Berger’s weather work led him to launch Space City Weather, a blog built on no-nonsense forecasting and a calm, conversational tone. For Houston residents, it’s still known today as an ever-reliable, non-partisan, non-flashy weather site.
After the Pulitzer nod, Berger took an offer to be the space writer at Ars Technica in the fall of 2015. At Ars, Berger could finally specialize, diving deep into stories that brought the reader and the industry value. He wants humanity to accomplish things in space, and his reporting reflects that. Ars lets him write as an advocate of space, and he curates his coverage around his hope for America: “Let’s go and do cool things in space.”
Unfortunately, in the way of cool things in space, there is industry complacency.
“You get companies that are trying to extend their existing contracts with the government because they are paying well, so the incentive for them is to actually not make progress because it extends the lifetime of that contract…,” says Berger. “And you get poor performance from those contractors.”
As a journalist, Berger has the privilege and responsibility of bringing this greed under the gaze of the public eye, which is especially important in the current global race to return to the moon that China is leading.
Besides revealing corporate sloth, Berger must also temper expectations for the more driven aerospace startups in pursuit of more cool space happenings. Most of these private space companies boast outrageous timelines and lofty goals, hoping to secure essential funding from private investors while Lockheed and Boeing grow fat from inaction. This is where Berger’s no-hype approach to reporting comes in handy.
“When dealing with private space companies, it’s best to assume that everybody will be late and is lying about what they have done.”
Given how often Berger breaks news, the question naturally arises: how does he find it? Aerospace companies tend to be secretive, and if certain NASA info is leaked, it could be considered a threat to national security. Berger has learned that, in addition to constantly combing the social media accounts of insiders, writing well is key to obtaining good info and developing rapport with insiders.
“It’s a big challenge to get the really good information; people have to be comfortable with you,” he said. “What I’ve found is that if you write intelligently about what you are covering, those who are being covered will want to talk to you.”
Berger’s books, Liftoff and Reentry, are key examples of the aforementioned “intelligent writing.” They chronicle the internal workings of SpaceX, the most important space company of the 21st century. Those familiar with Berger’s writing know him for his signature grounded stance, prioritizing non-partisan fact reporting and human interest. While the sacredness of accurate reporting remains, Berger’s passion for cool space and respect for the brilliant minds behind it are palpable in these books.
Each book does more for SpaceX than any press report could. The assembly of SpaceX’s key engineering team reads like the creation of a super team in preparation for a major heist, like “Ocean’s Eleven” but for engineering. Reading it, it is easy to root for SpaceX and understand the significance of its work–recognition which was overdue for SpaceX’s fledgling employees.
The two book releases were celebrated at the California homes of the very engineers chronicled and immortalized within. Through Berger’s writing, their years of self-sacrifice and hard work to reshape the space industry were recognized. Elon’s role in the book, albeit ubiquitous, does not match that of the engineers, but all are glad the story was told, and all are willing to talk to Berger about space.
For all his success, Berger’s real subject of expertise isn’t space—it’s clarity. While what goes on above Earth may go over our heads, Berger’s writing keeps it within reach.
