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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

2017

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

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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

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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.

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