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Tom Mueller

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SpaceX employee #1 behind engines used in Falcon rockets completes years-long retirement

Tom Mueller started building SpaceX alongside Elon Musk when the space exploration company was founded in 2002. Now the brains behind the engines used in SpaceX rockets and spacecrafts has officially retired.

Mueller started his 18-year-long career at SpaceX as vice president of propulsion engineering in May 2002 when the doors opened. Described as “employee number one” at SpaceX, the former VP of propulsion engineering is credited with leading design and development of the Merlin and Draco engines used on Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecrafts.

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