In a rare and candid interview, Tom Mueller, the man who designed the engines that propelled SpaceX from a garage project to a global aerospace titan, sat down with the Financial Times to reflect on his tenure as ‘employee number one’. The conversation, which touched on the early chaos, the near-death moments, and the eventual triumph, has sent ripples through the UK tech sector, where leaders are now eyeing a deeper collaboration with the American mavericks.
Mueller, a propulsion engineer with a raw, hands-on genius, described the early days at SpaceX as a ‘caffeine-fuelled sprint’. He recalled building the first Merlin engine in a shed, with parts sourced from eBay and local scrapyards. ‘We had no safety net, no second chances. Elon would walk in at 2 AM, eyes wild, talking about Mars. We thought he was mad. But mad in a way that made you believe.’ The company, now valued at over $150 billion, was a testament to what happens when unbridled ambition meets relentless execution.
But for the UK, the timing is exquisite. The British tech ecosystem, long seen as a secondary player in the space race, is now aggressively pivoting towards orbital infrastructure, satellite broadband, and in-space manufacturing. Government data shows that UK space tech startups raised £1.2 billion in 2023 alone, a 40% increase from the previous year. Yet the sector remains fragmented, with start-ups like Orbex, Skyrora, and OneWeb fighting for a slice of a market dominated by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab.
‘What we lack is the Silicon Valley ethos of extreme risk-taking,’ said Dr. Alistair Grey, a former NASA engineer now consulting for the UK Space Agency. ‘Tom Mueller’s story is a masterclass in iterative design. He would break things, fix them, and break them again. Our culture penalises failure. That has to change.’
The interview, which took place at the Imperial College London’s Space Lab, was part of a broader dialogue between SpaceX alumni and British enterprises. Mueller, who left SpaceX in 2021 to start his own propulsion firm, voiced cautious optimism about UK collaboration. ‘There is talent here, and a regulatory environment that is relatively agile. But the UK needs to decide: Do you want to be a passenger or a pilot? The window is closing.’
That sentiment was echoed by UK Tech Minister Paul Scully, who issued a statement shortly after the interview aired: ‘We are committed to making Britain a launchpad for the next generation of space technology. Tom Mueller’s journey from a garage to the stars is the kind of story we want to inspire here.’
The potential collaboration could take many forms. UK firms might license SpaceX’s engine technology for their own launch vehicles, or partner on satellite replenishment missions. There is also talk of a joint research initiative into reusable rockets, a field where SpaceX leads but where UK academics have made significant contributions in materials science and thermal protection.
Yet the ‘Black Mirror’ spectre looms. Critics warn that closer ties with SpaceX could entrench the US company’s dominance, stifling homegrown innovation. ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ cautioned Dr. Helena Crichton, a digital rights advocate. ‘SpaceX is a private behemoth with little accountability. If we become a satellite state, we lose sovereignty over our own skies.’
Mueller, for his part, dismissed the fear. ‘Competition is good. The UK has brilliant engineers. They just need the courage to fail. I failed so many times I lost count. But each failure was a stepping stone.’
As the interview drew to a close, Mueller offered a final reflection on the future: ‘The next decade will see a million people living off Earth. The UK can be part of that, or it can watch. My advice? Start building. Now.’
For the UK tech sector, the message is clear. The space race is no longer a luxury. It is a strategic imperative. And the time to act is now.
