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AIAA’s long-term members and event attendees know that we retired AIAA SPACE Forum, last held in September 2018. SPACE Forum was crucial to the trajectory of space innovation for many years—however, after conversations with our attendees, partners, and advisors, we recognized that our impact could be even greater. This recognition drove the launch of ASCEND.

ASCEND retains all the best parts of the AIAA SPACE Forum experience. You can still participate in a call for papers and build the program on a foundation of technical excellence. But ASCEND takes that experience to the next level, opening the door to more interdisciplinary collaboration and conversation.

Join us at ASCEND this November.

 AIAA SPACE Archives
2018

AIAA SPACE Forum 
17-19 September 2018
Orlando, Florida

 AIAA SPACE Livestream

You can watch the Plenary and Forum 360 sessions from the 2018 AIAA SPACE Forum on Livestream!

2017

Canceled due to Hurricane Irma
12-14 September 2017 
Orlando, Florida

2016

Open Space: Opportunities for the Global Community

About 1200 individuals from 30 countries and 40 U.S. states, including more than 200 students participated in AIAA SPACE 2016.

The questions surrounding the future of space exploration are far-reaching to the global community. Who will own the skies, the moon and future planets? AIAA SPACE 2016 participants heard from both thought leaders and the technical experts who have led the charge to date, as well as those who will enable future accomplishments.

Plenary Program

Plenary sessions examined some of the most critical issues in aerospace:

  • Opening session with Charles F. Bolden Jr., Winston A. Beauchamp, and Steve Jurvetson
  • Technologies for the New LEO Economy with Stephen Jurczyk, James Crawford, Steve Jolly, Bernard Kutter, and Andrew Rush
  • Next Stop: Mars with Michael Barratt, Guy Beutelschies, John Elbon, William H. Gerstenmaier, Abhishek Tripathi, and Julie Van Kleeck


Forum360

The Forum 360 panel discussions built on the themes and discussions of each day’s opening plenary session, adding a layer of content and context that enhanced the value of the forum experience. Sessions:

  • Icy Moons and Ocean Worlds
  • Commercial Crew Update
  • Thriving Within Complexity
  • Limiting or Unlimited: Envisioning a Free Market Space Industry
  • Earth Observations: Space & the Paris Agreement
  • Launch 2020
  • On-Orbit Satellite Servicing
  • Space Traffic Management
  • Global Perspectives

Technical Program

The technical program contained more than 650 technical papers from about 600 government, academic, and private institutions in 28 countriesreporting on the latest in space and astronautics research, and offering scores of opportunities for collaboration and discussion on high-impact topics.

Recognition

Recognition events included the William H. Pickering Lecture with Juno project manager Nybakken and principal investigator Bolton, Wanda Austindelivering the Yvonne C. Brill Lecture, Vigor Yang delivered the von Kármán Lecture, and a luncheon celebrated a number of  achievements in space and astronautics.

2016 Sponsors

Links

2015

Setting a Course for the Future

Industry, academia, and government leaders shared their perspectives on the new challenges, future opportunities, and emerging trends in the global space industry. In addition to the indepth technical program that contained more than 350 technical presentations from 21 countries, AIAA SPACE featured plenary sessions and Forum 360 panels on topics:

  • Executive Vision Discussion
  • The Business of Space—How is the space business evolving to meet future needs?
  • Pioneering Space
  • Future Explorations: Our Solar System’s Origins, Water, and Life
  • Banner Year for Solar System Exploration
  • On-Orbit Servicing Horizons
  • Space Policy for Rising Aerospace Leaders
  • Commercial Crew's Path to Flight
  • Flagship Astronomy Missions Beyond WFIRST
  • ISS-The Orbital Laboratory
  • Current Launch Vehicle Update
  • Earth Science and Remote Sensing
  • Pushing the Envelope: Balancing Innovation and Risk
  • Implementing Cyber Defense
  • Turning ΔV Into $ (Commercial Space Ops)
  • Interactive NIAC and Emerging Technology Exchange
  • Mars 2030

Links

2014

Connecting, Protecting, and Enhancing a Global Society

AIAA SPACE 2014 examined the impacts of space activity on society. The forum featured a global conversation around the important role our community plays in enabling a connected culture, monitoring our planet, expanding our boundaries beyond Earth, and advancing technology and innovation to address worldwide opportunities. The forum's general sessions, plenary speakers and panelists addressed these key issues:

  • Facilitating Global Connections
  • Monitoring the Planet
  • Expanding Boundaries
  • Advancing Technology

Featuring

  • AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference
  • AIAA Complex Aerospace Systems Exchange
  • 32nd AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference

Links

2013

Sparking Ingenuity and Collaboration to Enable Mission Success

Addressing the theme “Sparking Ingenuity and Collaboration to Enable Mission Success” the 2013 AIAA Space Conference and Exposition (SPACE) featured frank and forward-looking discussions designed to review the current achievements in space and highlight new initiatives and plans, while surfacing the key issues and challenges that need to be addressed in order to define clear roadmaps for future progress. Leaders from government, industry, and academia shared their ideas on how to focus the great talent and resources of the space community on the future. Held 10–12 September 2013 in San Diego, California, SPACE 2013 was sponsored by The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

Plenary sessions focused on:

  • A Conversation with Space Executives
  • The Evolving Landscape of the Space Business
  • Space Exploration for Inspiration and Profit
  • NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission
  • Aligning Technology Roadmaps to Support Goals
  • The Way Ahead for Space Based Weather Monitoring

The program also included panel sessions, technical paper sessions, and e-poster sessions that fostered open discussion with experts on current programs, future plans, innovations, and lessons learned.

Links