Meet the principal rocket landing engineer at SpaceX

From a young age, Lars Blackmore was interested in space travel and had a goal to one day work on electronics for spacecraft. It’s been a journey that’s led him from studying Engineering at Cambridge to completing a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before going on to land engineering roles at both NASA and SpaceX.

Lars is currently the Principal Rocket Landing Engineer for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 – the first orbital class rocket capable of reflight. He is responsible for the entry, descent and landing of the rocket and his next project will see him leading the entry and landing for Starship – SpaceX’s next-generation, fully reusable rocket with room for up to 100 passengers. The destination? The Moon and Mars, of course!

"I was thankful to be able to lean on the General Engineering that I had learned at Cambridge. It was this foundation in General Engineering (Parts 1A and 1B), coupled with the ability to conduct novel research in my particular field, that enabled me to do my job as SpaceX’s Principal Rocket Landing Engineer." - Alumnus Lars Blackmore

In an interview here, Lars talks about about the world of precision rocket landing, his career to date, and why internships are so important.

Image credit: SpaceX

Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering



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