Sanjeev Sharma, an Indian engineer at Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has garnered significant attention on social media for his remarkable educational and professional background. Mr Sharma’s journey began with a degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), followed by a successful stint at Indian Railways. He started as a Divisional Mechanical Engineer and rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, serving the Railways for over 11 years.

Seeking further growth, Mr Sharma pursued a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating in 2003. He then joined Seagate Technology as a Staff Mechanical Engineer and progressed to Senior Mechanical Engineer in 2008. During his five-year tenure at Seagate, he also earned an MS in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota.

After his stint at Seagate, he joined SpaceX as a Dynamics Engineer. At SpaceX, Mr Sharma played a pivotal role in leading the structural dynamics efforts, collaborating with cross-functional teams in aerodynamics, guidance, navigation, control, propulsion, and thermal engineering. Notably, he contributed to the groundbreaking recovery and reusability efforts of the first-stage booster, working on Falcon 9 flights F9-005 to F9-059. His work in this area helped pave the way for SpaceX’s revolutionary reusable launch technology.

In 2018, he briefly departed SpaceX to join Matternet Inc., a pioneering developer of commercial drone delivery systems. During his tenure at Matternet, he led vehicle engineering and later headed the technology division. 

However, Mr Sharma’s passion for space exploration soon led him back to SpaceX in 2022. He returned as a Principal Engineer for Starship Dynamics, bringing his wealth of experience to the development of SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program. Currently based in Hawthorne, California, he continues to drive innovation in space technology.

A screenshot of his work profile and achievements was shared on X by a user who wrote, ”From Indian Railways to SpaceX, From Building Trains to Building Starships & Catching Them.”

See the post here:

“From Indian Railways to SpaceX, From Building Trains to building Starships & catching them”

Podcast of Sanjeev Sharma- Principal Engineer for #Starship Dynamicshttps://t.co/mzD2QEQTWa pic.twitter.com/fbDXXJf8sx

— SRI SAIDATTA (@nssdatta) October 15, 2024

His impressive career trajectory, marked by academic excellence and professional achievements, has made him a subject of fascination and inspiration on social media.