Gwynne Shotwell, Rocket Woman

Gwynne Shotwell, Rocket Woman

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg









Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg





Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in 2002 with the goal of revolutionizing space travel and making life multiplanetary; Shotwell, who oversees day-to-day operations and growth, was one of his earliest employees. Before being introduced to Musk, she spent a decade at Aerospace Corp., a large defense contractor, then a few years at Microcosm Inc., a private space startup that designs and builds low-cost rockets and rocket parts.In 2012, SpaceX became the first private company to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station. Then, this May 30, after years of working with NASA and learning