“This engine will probably be the highest performing hydrocarbon engine ever flown because it's, it has a very high area ratio.”
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More from Tom Mueller
PredictionNot checkable as stated
Mueller predicts global compute infrastructure will eventually move to space
“Compute will need to move to space at some point.”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 39:23Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
Opinion
Mueller argues the Moon is more important than Mars near-term
“I think the moon is more important than Mars in the near term, and I think the same thing I was talking about earlier, using the resources of space to offload the crush of resource on Earth.”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 42:51Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
AssertionSupported
SpaceX's Merlin is the most reliable, highest thrust-to-weight engine ever
“My, probably my proudest development was the Merlin engine, which is currently flying on Falcon nine, the most reliable rocket engine ever developed, and also the highest thrust of weight of any rocket engine ever developed.”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 8:24Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
Opinion
Mueller says launch is solved; in-space transport is the next frontier
“Launch mostly being solved or is being solved. It's like the next big opportunity is to move all that payload, all that cargo around in space. So I started impulse space to do in space transportation as opposed to from earth to space transportation, which was …”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 8:36Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
Insight
Rocket engines take three major iterations to become mature products
“And I always said it took three versions of Merlin to get it to be really tight. And it took three versions also of Raptor. I always say it takes really three, three iterations to get to a really, really tight product and Raptor's there.”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 25:08Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
PredictionNot checkable as stated
Solar electric propulsion will outperform nuclear on cost for near-Earth missions
“Nuclear electric NEP propulsion is going to be important for going out to the outer planets. If you're staying near earth or even between earth and Mars, probably solar electric is, is, is, is going to outperform it on, on cost and performance just because sol…”
Tom MuellerJun 4, 2026▶ 34:58Tom Mueller: SpaceX's #1 Employee Built the Merlin Engine. Now He's Building Impulse Space · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea
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