Part 5/12:
In early 2002, Musk visited Mueller’s workshop, captivated by his innovative engine designs. Musk’s vision—to make rockets affordable enough for Mars colonization—resonated deeply with Mueller, who was eager to apply his expertise to real-world space exploration. Musk offered Mueller a position at his nascent company, SpaceX, which Mueller accepted, becoming the company’s first technical hire.
At SpaceX, Mueller’s role was pivotal. Musk’s goal: develop reusable rockets to radically reduce launch costs—a revolutionary idea at that time, as the aerospace industry primarily relied on expendable launch vehicles.