Bloomberg Businessweek feature writer Ashlee Vance discusses his book "When the Heavens Went on Sale," about the private companies launching small satellites into Earth's lower orbit for commercial and noncommercial use. In the last three years alone, the number of satellites orbiting Earth has gone from 2,500 to 8,000. Mr. Vance estimates that these companies will put up tens of thousands more over the next decade. He discusses the positives and negatives of this new effort to dominate space.

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