Musk's right-hand woman - without her, SpaceX might have perished long ago.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Launch!"
Florida, USA. On the night of May 23, 2019, a fire dragon broke through the late - night sky.
"The Falcon 9 rocket has successfully taken off with the first batch of 60 satellites of the 'Starlink' project." "The first and second - stage rockets have successfully separated." "The first - stage rocket has started to return."...
Wow, we did it!
During the live broadcast of the first launch of Elon Musk's "Starlink" project, cheers erupted every few seconds.
The "Starlink" project is a program launched by SpaceX in 2015. Its initial plan is to build an "artificial constellation" by launching about 12,000 satellites into space, reconstruct the global Internet, and enable everyone to access it.
A woman joined in the excitement. She is Gwynne Shotwell, the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SpaceX, the voice of reason behind the maverick Elon Musk.
Musk is in charge of X, she is in charge of Space
Having a boss like Elon Musk means there's a risk of spitting your breakfast onto the morning newspaper almost every day.
Controversies about him can appear on the pages of finance, technology, national defense, entertainment, society, and the legal system. He is one of the busiest people in the world and can turn into all sorts of memes in an instant because of various topics.
Arguing with analysts, smoking marijuana on a show, having an affair with a celebrity... It's really a headache.
Fortunately, there's Shotwell, Musk's "Theory of Relativity".
He is high - profile, while she is low - key:
"We've had a successful launch. This is big news today!"
"I have to make sure everyone gets home safely after the party."
He speaks without restraint, while she is always cautious:
"Someone wants to shoot down my rocket."
"Of course, we have to consider the possibility of external factors. Don't over - interpret his tweets too much."
He dominates the conversation, while she solves problems:
"SpaceX's unmanned spacecraft will fly to Mars before 2022, and humans will land on Mars in 2024."
"Mars is nice, but it will require large - scale renovation and construction if we really want to use it."
In 2015, approaching Christmas, Musk had his "revolutionary moment". The Falcon 9 landed successfully for the first time, which "greatly enhanced my confidence and made me believe that colonizing Mars is possible".
Another man was also happy at this time, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. Before Thanksgiving, his New Shepard had quietly accomplished the same feat.
The two companies are competitors. Musk is eccentric, and Bezos is mysterious.
On the surface, the cautious Shotwell seems to be more like Bezos in temperament, but she doesn't think so:
"I like working with Elon. He is humorous, loyal, and a great boss who can inspire people."
Rock it, rocket girl
1 Rocket Road, Hawthorne, California, the headquarters of SpaceX. After receiving an instruction, the staff immediately gathered in the same direction. They put down their work and quickly got involved in a new project.
This project is called the Falcon 9.
The Falcon 9 is a product developed by SpaceX to achieve the reusable performance of rockets and compete in the commercial rocket market.
It was Shotwell who issued the above instruction.
"Use all the people who can be used. This is crucial for the company's future."
In the office space shared by engineers and welders, Van Helen's rock music is playing on a loop.
It all started in 2002. That year, SpaceX was founded, and Shotwell became one of the founding employees.
She calls Musk "Elon".
At the beginning of 2004, Musk submitted a report to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), detailing his SpaceX plan. Soon after this unpublished plan was received, NASA sent people to visit SpaceX and spoke highly of it.
Words alone are not enough, and delays may cause trouble.
Just one month later, NASA skipped the bidding process and awarded a contract to another company.
Musk was furious and threatened to sue NASA. Shotwell was also dissatisfied, but she still maintained an official tone of "expressing concern as a relevant party".
Privately, she felt sorry for Musk: "Elon is fighting for justice."
According to foreign media observations, Shotwell used to have a short temper, but since joining SpaceX, she has had to suppress herself and play the role of a mediator among the boss, employees, customers, and the public.
No one is born calm. Calmness is forced.
In 2006, NASA announced the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program and planned to invest in a small number of enterprises. To avoid turning private enterprises into "government - owned companies", NASA limited the investment amount to within $500 million this time.
Shotwell believes that NASA's main concerns about SpaceX are twofold: How much money will Musk invest? Does the company have the ability to undertake the project?
Don't worry about the boss. That guy will definitely continue to burn money for his ideal. The question is, what project can be used to seek investment to demonstrate the company's strength?
The Falcon 9, which was under research, was just suitable for the COTS program. In an instant, all available people, funds, and materials were quickly put into it.
Improve, innovate, improve, innovate. All employees were operating at full capacity like instruments.
"Low - cost launch" is SpaceX's competitive edge. The equipment previously used by NASA cost more than $20 million per engine, while the single - launch quote of the Falcon 9 is less than $70 million.
In August 2006, the days and nights in California were as unpredictable as Musk's temper. On this day, he tried to look as serious as Shotwell, but within 3 seconds, he couldn't hold it anymore:
"We won!" He was extremely excited and joked, "I think this might be the most worthwhile money NASA has ever spent."
SpaceX thus won a $278 million contract from NASA and officially joined the COTS program.
Two years later, when SpaceX cooperated with NASA again, the contract amount had risen to $1.6 billion, and in 2014, it reached $2.6 billion.
This money completely saved SpaceX from the crisis of death. Later, someone commented: Musk is in charge of changing the world, and Shotwell is in charge of keeping SpaceX alive until the day it changes the world.
In 2015, the Falcon 9 landed on the coast of Florida, achieving vertical landing and recovery of the first - stage rocket for the first time.
In March 2017, the Falcon 9 achieved recovery and re - launch for the first time.
Costs were continuously reduced, and technology was continuously improved. By 2018, recovery and re - launch of the Falcon 9 had become the norm.
"I'm crazier than Elon"
In July 2009, Lori Garver was appointed as the Deputy Administrator of NASA. She is a firm supporter of women's participation in space exploration.
She and Shotwell are of similar ages and are both "women in a man's world", so they naturally became friends.
In 2008, SpaceX signed a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to provide supplies for the International Space Station.
As a NASA official, Garver appeared at the SpaceX headquarters and launch sites many times.
"When launching rockets is too expensive, you can't achieve much, but SpaceX has managed to do it, despite a lot of opposition." She firmly believes in the future of commercial rockets.
She has also criticized Musk, saying that he "does it for money rather than for humanity", but she can't praise Shotwell enough:
"She not only kept the company alive but also achieved amazing results in an area where it's difficult for ordinary people to succeed."
Shotwell has appeared in public more frequently in recent years and has gradually become Musk's spokesperson. At the SpaceX headquarters, even some visiting customers said that they rarely see Musk when working on projects, and it's enough to find Shotwell.
"She is proficient in technology, which is the basis for her to be an excellent salesperson. But she never tries to over - sell. She is always very honest." Matthew Desch, the CEO of Iridium Communications, a SpaceX customer, commented.
She is regarded as the second - in - command at SpaceX.
In June 2015, the Falcon 9 exploded and disintegrated two and a half minutes after take - off. Shotwell cried: "But I'm not a person who cries easily."
Bezos saw all this.
He was of course not idle. If SpaceX can do it, why can't Blue Origin?
Contrary to Musk, who often broadcasts launch sites live, Bezos likes to work quietly.
In April 2015, the New Shepard crossed the space boundary for the first time; in January 2017, Blue Origin won a NASA contract for a "delivery to the moon" program.
Bezos was observing Musk.
If SpaceX's launch failed, he would subtly mock it on Twitter. When they met at industry conferences, he almost ignored Musk.
"His approach is very stupid." Shotwell's attitude was quite restrained.
One day, Musk ordered the cancellation of a project. Upon learning this, Shotwell immediately rushed into the meeting room to remind him that this was an investment from a key customer, and the customer had already purchased a rocket.
This project that was almost cancelled by Musk is the "Falcon Heavy" that brought him glory.
In February 2018, in Saudi Arabia.
Shotwell sent her boss's Tesla Roadster into space on a Falcon Heavy rocket. This was a scientific test and also an entertainment show.
Inspect, clean, prepare.
Bang!
The cherry - red sports car, the blue Earth, and the deafening launch sound, accompanied by David Bowie's psychedelic music "Space Oddity", made this launch like a magnificent rock concert.
President Trump sent a congratulatory message, calling the Falcon Heavy "the best original result of the United States".
In September, SpaceX announced the design information of the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) after a series of successes.
The Big Falcon Rocket, also known as the Super Falcon Rocket, is a reusable new - type rocket used to transport passengers and cargo to Mars or to limit the travel time from New York to Shanghai to within one hour. The cost of its reusable part is less than $20 million.
At first, Musk named it BFR (Big F**king Rocket), and Shotwell changed the "F" to "Falcon".
Bezos said that the moon is the first step to break out of the Earth.
Musk said that we should develop a multi - planetary culture, starting from the moon and Mars. The design concept of the BFR is to develop its ability to transport a large amount of cargo and humans to Mars to build a settlement. (Extended reading: Last night, while half of the world was sleeping, he broke through the ceiling of human history)
"I think further than the boss. I believe our vision should not be limited to Mars. SpaceX can also take humans to Titan, Neptune, and even outside the solar system... Humans may also exist in a completely independent solar system. I want to find the presence of humans in another solar system." Shotwell said.
Actually, she's quite romantic
Gwynne Rowley Shotwell was born in 1963 and became interested in car engines in her childhood. Seeing her interest, her mother bought books about mechanics for her to develop freely.
Soon, Shotwell entered adolescence. Although she was a straight - A student in class, she preferred dressing up to studying. She absorbed a large amount of fashion information about clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.
She was willful and a bit hot - tempered, but she had an amiable face, beautiful but not overly glamorous.
In high school, she was the cheerleader that her peers envied, and she was also a member of the basketball and hockey teams. Her classmates said she was like a star.
However, Shotwell's mother didn't think she would enter the entertainment or sports circle. She insisted on sending her daughter to an engineer study group - a place that Shotwell thought was full of geeks and people with social - interaction problems.
In 1979, at a women engineers' conference, Shotwell met a beautiful speaker. "Because she was dressed so nicely, I couldn't help but talk to her," Shotwell recalled. "Seeing her appearance and her shoes, my impression of 'engineers' quickly changed."
After that, she entered Northwestern University as an excellent student. Joining the "sorority" and becoming a socialite didn't prevent her from getting the first place in the class in the final exam.
She obtained a degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in applied mathematics.
After graduation, Shotwell went to work at a rocket company in California, responsible for internal coordination and business development.
One day in 2002, after having dinner with a former colleague who had jumped to SpaceX, Shotwell walked into Musk's office and ran into him.
"Elon, you really need to hire someone for business development." She blurted out.
On the same day, Shotwell received a call from Musk. She thought she had been a bit reckless before, but she was actually hired. This scenario is very much like a domineering CEO plot.
Six years later, she became the President of SpaceX.
She no longer has time to be a "social queen". During her limited rest time, she drives her red Tesla home, cooks for her children, watches movies with her husband, and reads books before going to bed.
"I may have used all my social skills at work." She said with a smile.
She and her husband, Robert Shotwell, have two children. Robert is also a scientist, researching rocket propulsion technology at a NASA - affiliated laboratory.
She also has a romantic side with her husband.
On a Valentine's Day, she sent a flamethrower to their family farm in Texas as a gift for her husband. She said to Robert, "We'll use it to light our bonfire."
Making faces, posing with a peace sign, choosing lipstick colors according to her mood, and liking to drink Chardonnay wine. In daily life, Shotwell has a bit of a girly feel.
Women, the key factor in human technology
After years of experience, Shotwell has tempered her temper.
When faced with situations like "Who is this woman?" or "Oh, it's a woman", she has learned to prove herself with her abilities.
In 2012, she was inducted into the Global Technology Women's Hall of Fame; in 2016, she was included in Forbes' "100 Most Powerful Women in the World"; in 2018, she was included in Fortune's "50 Greatest Leaders in the World". Now, she is one of the most well - known technology idols in the world.
In 2019, it was the 50th anniversary of human moon landing.
On the morning of May 24th that year