🌌 The future is moving fast, and so are we. ASCEND is where bold ideas take flight and innovation shapes humanity’s off-world future.
Starting 29 September, you’ll find all ASCEND updates, insights, and event news through AIAA’s main channels. The vastness of space all in one place! Stay connected and keep your sights set on the horizon.
🚀 Next up
ASCENDxTexas 2026, 26–27 February, Houston, TX
ASCEND 2026, 19–21 May, Washington, D.C.
Follow AIAA today: Link in Bio.
🌍✨ Same content, bigger community. Together, let’s chart humanity’s path beyond Earth.
#ascendspace
🚀✈️ Happy #NationalInternsDay! This summer, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming three bright minds to the team — and like any great aerospace mission, they’ve brought curiosity, creativity, and energy to everything they’ve touched.
From attending industry events in D.C., to diving into the world of paid social ads, to meeting the people and companies shaping the future of aerospace — our interns have truly taken off in their roles.
🌌 Joseph Wakefield – Member Engagement Intern, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
💻 Audrey Muendel – Social Media Intern, James Madison University
🛰 Shuai Li – Public Policy Intern, Georgetown University
👏 AIAA is proud to provide hands-on experiences that help shape the next generation of aerospace leaders. Thank you, Shuai, Audrey, and Joe, for your hard work, fresh ideas, and enthusiasm. The aerospace industry’s future is brighter because of you. Keep on breaking barriers!
#AIAA #NationalInternsDay #FutureOfAerospace
We’re so inspired by all the talent we saw at 2025 AVIATION Forum and ASCEND last week!
A huge shoutout to our AIAA Rising Stars! These students and young professionals are already making their mark on the industry. Your passion and innovation are driving the future of aerospace forward. 🚀
#ascendspace #AIAA
-🚀 What happens in Vegas… could launch to space!
✨ Just one week ago, @ascendspace 2025 lit up Las Vegas with the brightest minds in aerospace, policy, and emerging space technologies. Hosted by @aiaaerospace , this year’s conference was more than a gathering—it was a launchpad for bold ideas, groundbreaking innovation, and real conversations about the future of space.
From sustainable space systems and AI-driven exploration to bio-manufacturing stem cells in space and commercial launch strategies, every session sparked imagination and dialogue. 🌍💡
This is truly one of my favourite conferences ever⭐️ I also got to meet some AMAZING people and make new friends🩷
THANK YOU ASCEND 2025 for another great year. #ASCEND2025 #AIAA #SpaceStartsHere #SpaceMedicine
Last week at 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum and ASCEND 2025 📸✈️🚀 I had such a blast getting to see so many industry/academia friends, getting to hear lectures on the latest and greatest tech and how space sensing helps first responders in fire fighting (among so many other important things), and getting to see airplanes!
#aiaa #AIAAaviation #ASCENDspace #space #engineering #aerospace #aerospaceengineering #f16 #f16fightingfalcon
🎥 Relive the moments! From powerful sessions and memorable messages to unforgettable connections — here’s a look back at 2025 ASCEND and the AIAA AVIATION Forum through 100 photos. 🚀✈️
Thank you to everyone who joined us to shape the future of aerospace. Keep breaking barriers until we meet again next year.
📸 ICYMI: Check out the complete coverage on Aerospace America: link in bio
#AIAA #ascendspace #AIAAaviation
⭐ The ASCENDANTS made the case for generative, restorative, and just human space activity.
Trailblazers from NGOs, government, and industry from nine countries addressed the most pressing space sustainability challenges during 2025 ASCEND.
“The ASCENDANTS recognize being in the right relationship with the environment. They realize it’s a shared environment and that we’re inextricably linked to it,” said the program’s creator, Moriba Jah, an astrodynamics expert and chief scientist and co-founder of Privateer.
Congratulations to the 2025 ASCENDANTS, a stellar group of emerging space visionaries!
📚 Read the full story From the Institute in Aerospace America: https://bit.ly/3H7i21U
📚 Read the 2025 ASCENDANTS OpEds: https://bit.ly/4mlrYDX
#AIAA #ascendspace
This is Part 2 of my behind-the-scenes tour with the @afthunderbirds during the 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum.
I had the chance to visit their hangar at Nellis AFB and see firsthand how this team operates day to day. From maintenance crews to equipment support and logistics crews, it was great learning about the range of roles that make each of the Thunderbirds' flights possible.
It was surreal stepping onto the hangar floor and seeing the Thunderbirds patch and an F-16 in front of the American flag.
Thank you to the @afthunderbirds team for the access and insight into what it takes to be a Thunderbird!
#AIAA #AIAAaviation #Thunderbirds #Aviation #AirForce #F16 #BehindTheScenes
ASCEND you were everything and more than I imagined!
From starting the day with a call with two astronauts aboard the @iss to curating a beautiful lineup of subject matter experts, founders, researchers and designers helping put humans in space for long duration and deep exploration missions — you didn’t disappoint!
Just like everything became tech…. So will space and I hope to be a constant reminder that space needs ALL of us! I’m so excited to bring all of my lessons learned from corporate sustainability in AI to space exploration!
And I hope to see all of you at @aiaaerospace@ascendspace in Texas and DC next year!
#spaceexplorer #futureastronaut #spacemedicine #spacetechnology #aiaa #ascend #internationalspacestation #nasabeyond #nasa🚀
And that’s a wrap on the 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum and ASCEND! ✨
From visionary keynotes to powerful conversations around AI integration, sustainable aviation, securing the frontier, and humanity’s return to the Moon—we brought the future of aerospace into focus.
Across both programs, we spotlighted leaders, celebrated world-class engineering achievements, and amplified emerging voices through workshops, fireside chats, and on our HUB stage featuring changemakers.
To the attendees, exhibitors, speakers, and friends who joined us: THANK YOU. Your energy and insights made this week unforgettable.
We’re heading home inspired, energized, and ready to build on what we started here.
📍Mark your calendars: We’ll return in 2026 and you won’t want to miss what’s next for AVIATION in San Diego and ASCEND in Washington, DC.
#AIAA #AIAAAviation #ascendspace
🎤 Panelists at 2025 ASCEND agreed: Interoperability is a must for programs like DOD’s Golden Dome and NASA’s Moon to Mars to succeed.
These programs are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, requiring not just technological advances but also new levels of policy alignment, government and industry collaboration, and international cooperation.
⭐ Their closing request: Embrace interoperability as the foundation for a sustainable, innovative, and collaborative space future.
Read the full story From the Institute in Aerospace America: https://bit.ly/3IJoixj
#AIAA #ascendspace #moon2mars #goldendome
