SpaceX Falcon 9 landing team named first winner of Purdue’s Neil Armstrong Space Prize
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University has named SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Booster Landing Team the inaugural recipient of the 2026 Neil Armstrong Space Prize, recognizing the group’s work on the Falcon 9 reusable two-stage rocket system. The announcement was made Tuesday, April 21, at Purdue’s Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.
The international prize honors excellence over the past 10 years in space discovery, innovation and human achievement. Purdue describes the award as aspiring to be a Nobel for space, reflecting the university’s long-standing ties to the field and to alumnus Neil Armstrong.
The selection was announced at an event in the Herman and Heddy Kurz Atrium, where attendees watched a livestream as the SpaceX team learned of the award. Amit Kshatriya, a NASA associate administrator, and other leaders participated in the program.
Dan Dumbacher, chair of the prize’s selection committee and a professor of engineering practice in Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said the Falcon 9 flew 164 times last year, with one booster used more than 30 times.
He credited the team’s vertical landing capability with helping to reduce launch costs, saying, “This team made it happen.” Dumbacher said the SpaceX group was chosen from a long list of nominees based on its impact, and it was honored in the award’s Innovation category.
He noted the prize spans government, defense and commercial sectors, and that nominees were received in all three categories. Nominations submitted in 2025 were reviewed and narrowed to six finalists in January. The advisory committee is led by Kathleen Howell.
Dumbacher also thanked BryceTech for supporting the process development. The award will be formally presented in September at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., aligned with the America250 celebration. The prize pays tribute to aerospace pioneer and Purdue graduate Neil Armstrong (BS 1955; honorary doctorate 1970), who led the Apollo 11 crew that became the first to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.