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.
Space Demo
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.
- 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.
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.
AIAA Related Content
EVENTS
COURSES
NEWS
-
2025 AIAA Young Professionals, Students, and Educators (YPSE) Conference
21 November 2025 12:00 am - 21 November 2023 12:00 am
The AIAA Mid-Atlantic Section is organizing the AIAA Young Professionals, Students, and Educators (YPSE) Conference, to be held 21 November.
-
2025 Region VII Student Conference
1 December 2025 12:00 am - 2 December 2025 12:00 am
AIAA is pleasead to announce that the Region VII/International Student Conference will be held from 1–2 December 2025 at the University of Sydney Student Branch, Sydney, Australia & Online.
-
Daniele Mortari Astronautics Symposium
11 December 2025 12:00 am - 12 December 2025 12:00 am
To recognize his scientific contributions, retirement, and the 70th birthday of Professor Daniele Mortari.
-
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026
12 January 2026 12:00 am - 16 January 2026 12:00 am
The AIAA SciTech Forum program covers the science, technologies, and policies that are shaping the future of aerospace. The forum is the largest event for aerospace research, development, and technology in the world.
-
CFD Validation Challenges: Perspectives from Modelers and Measurers
18 February 2026 12:00 am - 19 February 2026 12:00 am
Join us for an inspiring exchange of ideas, networking opportunities, and collaborative discussions aimed at fostering innovation and addressing the pressing mathematical issues faced in today’s technological landscape.
-
ASCENDxTexas 2026
25 February 2026 12:00 am - 26 February 2026 12:00 am
ASCENDxTexas 2026 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.
-
2026 IEEE Aerospace Conference
7 March 2026 12:00 am - 14 March 2026 12:00 am
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.
-
AIAA DEFENSE Forum 2026
17 March 2026 12:00 am - 20 March 2026 12:00 am
The AIAA Defense and Security Forum (AIAA DEFENSE Forum) is a Secret/NOFORN event providing a venue for leaders from government, military, industry, and academia to advance and accelerate modernization, informed by Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s priorities.
- Generative AI for Code Generation and Evaluation: From HumanEval to AeroEval – Online Short Course (Starts 28 April 2026)
28 April 2026 - 7 May 2026
Advance your AI expertise with this cutting-edge course specifically designed for engineers.
Open for registration. Register Now
- Launch Vehicle Avionics Systems Design and Applications – Online Short Course (Starts 14 April 2026)
14 April 2026 - 30 April 2026
This new practical course offers a rare deep dive into launch vehicle avionics systems engineering and design.
Open for registration. Register Now
- Space Systems Verification and Validation – Online Short Course (2–5 December 2025)
2 December 2025 - 5 December 2025
This essential course provides participants with the processes, industry standards, information, and tools necessary to implement or evaluate a credible verification and validation program.
Open for registration. Register Now
- Space Architecture: Designing a Mars Habitation System: Challenges and Consequences
Instructed by unparalleled experts from the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee This unique course is at the leading edge of system-design-integration for human missions All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
Open for registration. Register Now
- Fundamentals of Space Domain Awareness: An Introduction to Safe Operations, Security, and Defense
Instructed by Dr. Wiley Larson and Mrs. Pam Magee Covers the necessary capabilities for Space Domain Awareness (SDA) operations, challenges and problems, strategy and tactics, space object detection, tracking, characterization and identification, overall data and information flow and decision-making. All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
Open for registration. Register Now
- LEARNING TRACK: Responsible AI in Aerospace
1 April 2025 - 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
- Designing Better CubeSats Using System-Level Simulations
This class familiarizes users with the workflows of modeling and analyzing a CubeSat mission using digital mission engineering best practices. All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
Open for registration. Register Now
- Introduction to Propellant Gauging
New practical online course essential to any practicing or aspiring Propulsion Engineer All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
Open for registration. Register Now
-
AIAA Statement on Tenth SpaceX Starship Test Flight
27 August 2025
AIAA issued the following statement from CEO Clay Mowry: “Congratulations to the SpaceX team on the incredible 10th…
-
AIAA Award Presented at International Conference on Environmental Systems
27 August 2025
The 2025 AIAA Jeffries Aerospace Medicine and Life Sciences Research Award was presented…
-
AIAA Mourns the Passing of James A. Lovell
14 August 2025
AIAA issued the following statement by AIAA CEO Clay Mowry: “AIAA joins the aerospace community in mourning the loss of Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell…
-
AIAA Announces 2024-2025 Section Award Winners
4 August 2025
AIAA announced its 2024-2025 section award winners during its Regional Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The section awards…
-
AIAA Statement on the NASA SpaceX Crew-11 Launch
1 August 2025
AIAA CEO Clay Mowry made the following statement: “We congratulate the entire NASA SpaceX team on its successful Crew-11 launch…
-
Remembering Geoffrey Andrews: 2018 Abe Zarem Graduate Award Recipient and K-12 Subcommittee Chair
15 July 2025
On 19 June, AIAA and the aerospace community lost a bright, brilliant, and warm figure when Geoffrey Andrews, age 30, died in a plane crash.
-
2025 Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics Awarded to Susan Ying, AMP2FLY
30 June 2025
AIAA is pleased to award the 2025 AIAA Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics to Susan Ying, AMP2FLY. Ying will deliver…
-
2025 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Presented by Jamie M. Morin, The Aerospace Corporation, During 2025 ASCEND
27 June 2025
AIAA is pleased to announce the 2025 AIAA David W. Thompson Lectureship in Space Commerce is awarded to Jamie M. Morin, Vice President, Defense Strategic Space…