AIAA has played a critical role in advancing space exploration, inspiration, and discovery since the beginning of modern rocketry. Space is becoming an essential part of our everyday lives and there are more and more entities getting involved, making space more congested and complex, requiring new rules and norms so that all participants can coexist and prosper. AIAA plays a key role in bringing diverse perspectives together to collaboratively develop solutions. Based on its decades of technical heritage, AIAA fosters the advancement of key future technologies and helps play a role in developing newly required technical standards.
Key Topics
Competitive and Burgeoning Space Economy
Space use continues to expand and become more of a commercial concern. The United States must evolve how it works in space to maintain and continue to grow the U.S. commercial space sector.
Subtopics
Lunar Surface Exploration and Development
The Moon is the maior shared focus of current and future space exploration. Many actors - public and private, domestic and international - are increasingly endeavoring to land and operate on the Moon with both robotic and human flight systems in the face challenges at the frontiers of technical, financial, and programmatic capabilities. The Lunar Surface Exploration and Development Task Force will identify and document critical initial steps for lunar surface exploration that will promote sustainable lunar and space exploration, international cooperation and coordination, and economic development.Cislunar Infrastructure & Operations
The future of cislunar missions will depend on an emerging infrastructure of private and public sector services and capabilities. A range of human and/or robotic/autonomous mission approaches, great power competition, and economic forces will drive the development of various cislunar infrastructure and operational capabilities. The Cislunar Infrastructure and Operations Task Force intends to drive toward answering the hard questions of how government and commercial capabilities will combine to enable development of cislunar operations infrastructure.Space Ecosystem Development
The economic and governance foundations of space activity are shifting rapidly as decades of government dominance of the space sector gives way to an increasingly privately capitalized space industry. Nonetheless, non-government market demand for such high-profile space-related capabilities as human spaceflight, and lunar and deep space exploration, remains low. The Space Ecosystem Development Task Force will address today's and tomorrow's economic, governance, and business approaches that impact the viability, extent, and growth.
Outpacing the Space Threat
Space is essential to our everyday lives. How do we protect this asset, maintain U.S. global leadership, and continue to defend U.S. national security interests?
Space Exploration
How can we sustainably explore our solar system and beyond including the capabilities of the many new companies and countries that have spacefaring capability and ambitions?
Space Sustainability
Space Sustainability How can we best use space/space assets to protect and manage our planet’s resources, people, and property and to address the climate crisis.
Space Traffic Management / Space Traffic Coordination
With the ever-growing presence of objects in space, especially the large LEO constellations, there are needs for norms, rules, and principles to guide the use of outer space if we are to preserve it for current and future generations.
Learn More
AIAA Related Content
EVENTS
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Aerospace Perspectives Series: Integrating Commercial Innovation Into National Space Missions
23 January 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
Online
This webinar, set for 23 January, will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by federal space leaders as they partner with industry to integrate innovation into vital missions of national importance. -
ASCENDxTexas: Strategic Transitions – Aligning Stakeholders for Giant Leaps
26 February - 27 February 2025
Houston, Texas, USA
This year is the year of transitions: political, strategic, acquisitional, and mission-driven. ASCENDxTexas 2025 will focus on the innovation and adaptation necessary to navigate the evolving space economy–from policy discussions to commercial challenges and changing timelines, the next giant leap starts here. -
2025 IEEE Aerospace Conference
1 March - 8 March 2025
Big Sky, Montana, USA
The International Conference for Aerospace Experts, Academics, Military Personnel, and Industry Leaders. The 2025 conference will be the 46th and is set for 1–8 March 2025. -
50th Dayton-Cincinnati Aerospace Sciences Symposium (DCASS)
4 March 2025
Dayton, Ohio, USA
The Dayton-Cincinnati Aerospace Sciences Symposium (DCASS) is a unique venue for technical interchange with members of the regional aerospace community. The 2025 event is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 4 March, at the Sinclair Ponitz Conference Center. -
AIAA Talks Virginia and Maryland Aerospace Days
4 March 2025 12 a.m. - 12 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
Virtual
With Virginia Aerospace Day coming up on January 29th and Maryland Aerospace Day on February 20th, join this virtual event to find out how to get involved! -
HYSKY 2025 H2Hub Summit: Meet the Winners
19 March 2025 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Central Daylight Time)
Virtual
The 2nd Annual H2Hub Summit is set to take place online 19 March 2025. Join us as we set actionable pathways for clean hydrogen to decarbonize key sectors and drive significant reductions in U.S. carbon emissions. -
2025 Region I Student Conference
20 March - 21 March 2025
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
AIAA is pleased to announce that the Region I Student Conference will be held from 20-21 March 2025 at École de Technologie Supérieure. -
2025 Region IV Student Conference
28 March - 29 March 2025
Richardson, Texas, USA
AIAA is pleased to announce that the Region IV Student Conference will be held from 28-29 March 2025 at the University of Texas at Dallas.
COURSES
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LEARNING TRACK: Responsible AI in Aerospace (Starts 1 Apr 2025)
1 April - 22 May 2025
During Spring 2025, AIAA will offer an online series of Artificial Intelligence short courses focusing on Responsible AI.
Open for registration. Register Now
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Applications of Generative AI with Large Language Models in Aviation and Aerospace – Online Short Course (Starts 13 May 2025)
13 May - 22 May 2025
Explore AI's frontiers in aviation and aerospace! Join our new course on Large Language Model (LLM) Application Development, focused on AI applicability in the aviation and aerospace industries.
Open for registration. Register Now
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AI Design and Deployment Risks for Aerospace Applications – Online Short Course (Starts 29 April 2025)
29 April - 8 May 2025
Deepen your understanding of aerospace autonomy and AI risk management with this third AIAA course in the Responsible AI series.
Open for registration. Register Now
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AI for Aerospace Applications: Ethics, Policy, and Society – Online Short Course (Starts 15 April 2025)
15 April - 24 April 2025
Navigate the intersection of AI, ethics, policy, and societal impact with this course tailored to the unique challenges of AI and aerospace applications.
Open for registration. Register Now
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Systems Engineering and Artificial Intelligence for Aerospace Applications – Online Short Course (Starts 1 Apr 2025)
1 April - 10 April 2025
Advance your expertise in AI for aerospace with this first course in the AIAA series, focusing on building systems with Artificial Intelligence and using AI to enhance the systems engineering process.
Open for registration. Register Now
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Cislunar Exploration: Challenges and Opportunities – Online Short Course (Starts 3 Mar 2025)
3 March - 17 March 2025
We are going back to the Moon… learn about the meaning of this endeavor for spacefaring countries, and how sustained presence on another celestial body is more than just a technical challenge.
Open for registration. Register Now
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Engineering and Operations for Planetary Field Geology – Online Short Course (Starts 12 Feb 2025)
12 February - 16 April 2025
This course will provide a foundational understanding of the science motivations for and the requirements, methods, and limitations of conducting field science operations during EVAs on planetary surfaces such as the Moon and Mars.
Open for registration. Register Now
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Atmospheric and Near-Earth Space Environment – Online Short Course (Starts 6 February 2025)
6 February - 10 April 2025
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the atmospheric and space environment experienced by suborbital and orbital spacecraft.
Open for registration. Register Now
NEWS
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AIAA Announces 2025 Premier Award Winners
16 January 2025
AIAA is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the AIAA Premier Awards, recognizing the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace whose outstanding contributions merit the highest accolades. -
AIAA Statement on Blue Origin New Glenn Test Flight
16 January 2025
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry: “Congratulations to the Blue Origin team! Today’s New Glenn test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station marks... -
The ‘Golden Age’ of AI and Autonomy
13 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – In the future artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems will transform how people and assets are tracked, whether on Earth or in space, noted speakers on an AIAA SciTech Forum plenary on AI and Autonomy last Thursday, 9 January. -
Celebrating Diverse Voices in Aerospace at AIAA SciTech Forum
10 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – On the final evening of the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, female aerospace leaders, students, and allies gathered for an engaging discussion on the unique experience of women in aerospace... -
Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Advanced Propulsion Tech Will Help Industry Achieve Net Zero Goals by 2050
10 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – An expert panel composed of three top aviation original equipment manufacturers (OEM), NASA, and the U.S. Department of Energy tackled how propulsion technology will drive the industry to achieve... -
The Next Generation of Spacesuits Being Designed Digitally
9 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – During her astronaut career flying on five Space Shuttle missions, Professor Bonnie J. Dunbar recalls the challenges of ill-fitting EVA “modular, mix-and-match” spacesuits. Ironically, it was during training... -
ORNL: Troubleshooting Turbulence – the Next ‘Killer App’ for Exascale Supercomputing?
9 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – The aerospace community got a rare look at the capabilities and processing might of the world’s first exascale supercomputer during a plenary session at 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum. -
USAF Science & Technology Chief: New Urgency to Embrace Digital Transformation to Strengthen the Force’s Resiliency and Ability to Compete Against Near-Peer Rivals
8 January 2025
ORLANDO, Fla. – The ability to field critical capabilities in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) has never been more urgent, a senior Air Force official told AIAA SciTech...