SpaceX Falcon 9 team wins inaugural Neil Armstrong Space Prize
Technology
SpaceX's Falcon 9 landing team just scored the first-ever Neil Armstrong Space Prize, handed out by Purdue University on September 15, 2026.
The award celebrates how their rocket landing technology made reusing rockets a practical reality, something that's seriously changed the game for space travel.
Falcon 9 landings pave Starship program
Since its debut in 2010, Falcon 9 has nailed over 650 booster landings, thanks to innovators like Lars Blackmore, Shana Diez, Jon Edwards, Yoshiaki Kuwata, and Eduardo Velazquez.
Their work hasn't just inspired new rocket technology; it's also paved the way for SpaceX's next big thing: the Starship program aimed at Moon and Mars missions.