Tag: 2026

2026 AIAA 30/30 Recipients Announced: Aerospace Design and Structures Category

FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA has identified 30 exceptional young professionals who are advancing aerospace through technical achievement, innovation, and leadership. The 30/30 Program highlights individuals in their 30s who are driving breakthrough research, advancing next-generation technologies, leading impactful programs and teams, and accelerating innovation across aerospace. They are presented in seven different technical categories. Meet the winners in our Aerospace Design and Structures Category below. And learn about the full list of 30 exceptional individuals at aiaa.org/get-involved/honors-awards/awards/30-30-recognition-program.

Expanded Industry Support Boosts ISS National Lab’s Orbital Edge Accelerator

Upward reports that increased support from investors, sponsors, and industry partners is helping expand the ISS National Lab’s Orbital Edge Accelerator in its second year, with eight startups selected for the 2026 cohort. Private investment of $500,000 to $750,000 per company and new opportunities to test technologies in space are aimed at turning promising innovations into “real-world commercial successes.”
Full Story (Upward)

AIAA Celebrates National Intern Day 2026

FROM THE INSTITUTE
In celebration of National Intern Day, AIAA is highlighting the students who have spent this summer working alongside the staff supporting initiatives from digital media and graphic design to government relations and student member competitions.

High School Students Dive into Aerospace Research at Regional Student Conferences

FROM THE INSTITUTE
At AIAA Regional Student Conferences students present their research in a formal technical meeting atmosphere, as well as exchanging ideas and discussing programs with students from other schools in the region. 2026 marks the first time that every student conference featured a dedicated track for high school students to present their work.

Marilyn J. Smith Awarded 2026 AIAA-NAE Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Rotorcraft – The New Frontier in Extraplanetary Exploration” set for 5 October

July 7, 2026, Reston, Va. — The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are pleased to announce that Marilyn J. Smith, David S. Lewis Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Director of the Georgia Tech Army/Navy/NASA Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering.

Picture RotorcraftSmith will present her lecture, “Rotorcraft – The New Frontier in Extraplanetary Exploration,” on Monday, 5 Oct., starting at 1 p.m. ET with the lecture, followed by a reception. This lecture will be held in conjunction with the NAE Annual Meeting at 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. Registration for this lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

Rotorcraft are highly versatile flight vehicles for a variety of missions where the ability to hover, move omnidirectionally, and land on unprepared surfaces are a must. Innovators have postulated for several decades that rotorcraft are the optimal vehicles for cost-effective and optimal extraplanetary exploration. Rotorcraft can cover larger swaths of unexplored territory to explore various geographical features than ground vehicles, as well as identify atmospheric traits at different altitudes and locations. The Mars Ingenuity vehicle indisputably proved rotorcraft’s ability to go above and beyond in these science missions.

This lecture will explore both the advantages and limitations of rotorcraft for extraplanetary missions, including rotorcraft design for extreme environments, opportunities to leverage current autonomous uncrewed aerial systems development, and mitigation of unknown planetary characteristics that could negatively impact mission requirements. The lecture will also identify research areas where innovations can lower risk in these long-term missions.

Smith’s research encompasses computational unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelasticity for complex configurations, including rotorcraft. Smith is an AIAA Fellow, as well as Honorary Fellow of the Vertical Flight Society and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. She is a Vertical Flight Society Technical Director Emeritus, and member emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Vertical Flight Society and the Vertical Lift Consortium. In 2022, Smith presented the Vertical Flight Society Nikolsky Award Lecture honoring a lifetime achievement of research and development in Vertical Flight. She is also the recipient of the 2022 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Award, and the 61st Royal Aeronautical Society Lanchester Memorial Lecture (2023).

AIAA, with the participation and support of the NAE, created the Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering to honor the memory of the late pioneering rocket scientist, AIAA Honorary Fellow, and NAE member Yvonne C. Brill. Brill was best known for developing a revolutionary propulsion system that remains the industry standard for geostationary satellite station-keeping. The lectureship emphasizes research or engineering issues for space travel and exploration, aerospace education of students and the public, and other aerospace issues such as ensuring a diverse and robust engineering community.

For more information about the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

NAE Media Contact: Sabrina Steinberg, [email protected], 202.334.2622

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About NAE
Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The mission of the NAE is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering. Follow NAE on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.