United StatesTom Mueller
Tom Mueller is an American rocket-engine designer widely regarded as one of the world's leading spacecraft-propulsion experts, holding several US patents in the field. Born in Idaho, he earned an MS in mechanical engineering from Loyola Marymount University. In 2002 he became the founding employee of SpaceX, where as VP of propulsion engineering and later CTO of propulsion he led the teams that developed the Merlin and Kestrel engines for Falcon 1 and Falcon 9, as well as the Draco and SuperDraco thrusters for the Dragon spacecraft. After retiring from SpaceX in late 2020, he founded Impulse Space in September 2021 to build in-space transportation hardware, starting with last-mile orbital delivery and extending to high-energy transfers to GEO, the Moon, and beyond. He serves as CEO.