Biting his nails and watching the launch with his family from his Chico home on Oct. 14, his big moment of relief came when the satellite successfully detached from the SpaceX Falcon rocket, using a part he had direct oversight for — the launch vehicle separation system — as mechanical systems engineer and product delivery manager for National Aeronautic Space Administration,

Managed by JPL scientists and technicians, it will take Europa Clipper 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter, where it will slip into orbit around the giant gas planet.