The ambient pioneer will receive the award for “science communication”.

Brian Eno is the latest musician to be awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal at Starmus, a biennial science festival celebrating space exploration.

The composer has been awarded the prize alongside SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Each will receive a medal and an engraved gold OMEGA moonwatch for “science communication”.

Previous winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal at Starmus include Hans Zimmer, Jean-Michel Jarre and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Earlier this year it was announced that Brian Eno would release a remastered version of his seminal 1983 ambient album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, as well as a new album of original compositions.

Read next: Ambient music at 40 – Lawrence English examines the future of a drifting genre