Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the Moon, dies at 90

BBC News reports: Pioneering computer scientist led the development of the software for Nasa's Apollo mission and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The story is also being covered by The Guardian. The Guardian adds: MIT computer scientist led development of software for moon mission and earned Presidential Medal of Freedom Margaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday.

This technology story centres on the United Kingdom. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include Margaret Hamilton, Moon and MIT.

Why it matters

Technology stories like this can affect how people work, communicate and protect their data. It is being reported by more than one news organisation.

Key details

Location

United Kingdom · Europe

Reported by

BBC News and The Guardian

First reported

8 Oct 2026, 06:10 IST

Key names

Margaret Hamilton, Moon, MIT, Nasa's Apollo

Section

Technology

Sources

This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publishers:

• BBC NewsMargaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the Moon, dies at 90 8 Oct, 10:40
• The GuardianMargaret Hamilton, trailblazer whose software powered Apollo 11 moon landing, dies aged 90 8 Oct, 06:10

Read the full story at BBC News ↗

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