AIAA Accelerates the Future of Aviation and Space at 2024 AIAA AVIATION Forum and 2024 ASCEND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The latest aircraft, spacecraft, technologies, and missions were on display in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 28 until August 2 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). AIAA co-located two of its signature events – 2024 AIAA AVIATION Forum and 2024 ASCEND – in one venue, Caesars Forum, for the week. Nearly 3,800 aviation and space professionals came together, bridging the gap between aviation’s visionary concepts and tangible technological reality, while also accelerating our off-world future through collaboration.
From the stage, attendees heard more than 350 speakers including senior government officials from NASA, the National Reconnaissance Organization (NRO), the U.S. Space Force and others, as well as prominent industry leaders from companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. They delivered wide ranging insights on aviation and space – from the current view of the industries, to the near-term paradigm shifts that are starting to occur in aviation, to the challenges in building a sustainable space ecosystem.
In a truly unique session designed to attract both audiences of air and space professionals, NASA showcased an unprecedented assembly of NASA technology. NASA Chief Technology Officer A.C. Charania hosted the session featuring all NASA field center chief technologists. Together they took attendees on a tour across the entire United States, sharing the unique features and focus areas of their campus, their core competencies, and their next-generation aviation and space technologies. The session is available on YouTube.
One of the hallmarks of an AIAA event is the deep technical exchange due to the vast number of technical papers presented. Nearly 1,300 papers were presented by researchers, authors, and university students during both events. Awards were presented for the best papers presented by students throughout the AIAA AVIATION Forum, based on assessments by industry professionals.
More than 75 exhibitors filled the 12,500 square-foot Expo Hall – AIAA’s largest exposition ever. The Expo Hall served as the bridge between both events’ communities, providing attendees full access to interact with the latest advanced technologies from the full industry sectors of air and space.
2024 AIAA AVIATION Forum Highlights
- Increased dialogue on and demonstration of alternate aircraft propulsion – electrified aircraft, sustainable fuels, hydrogen propulsion
- Introduction of autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) to aircraft design, and accelerating the use of digital twins
- Deeper looks at new and novel aviation concepts – blended-wing body concepts, hybrid electric cargo drones, rigid airships, X-planes
- The challenges and opportunities around introducing electric air taxis in highly populated areas, including tackling noise problems
- Anticipated flight tests of demonstrator aircraft, including supersonics
2024 ASCEND Highlights
- Leveraging both government and commercial capabilities to push the frontier
- Building a sustainable space economy, tapping into venture capital and building partnerships with allies and international partners
- Discussions around innovation, ideas, and challenges for lunar infrastructure – landers, rovers, habitats, mining, regolith management, power sources – for Artemis missions and beyond
- Exploring the opportunities to explore Mars, including discussion on Mars Sample Return missions
- Pushing toward new applications of In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), robotics, and developing capabilities in cislunar space
- Addressing the growing threat of space debris to orbiting assets, including human-rated spacecraft
- Planning for an integrated space defense strategy to maintain U.S. leadership in space with senior defense leaders from the U.S. and its allies
- Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) in space-related applications
Space sustainability and environmentalism were tackled by this year’s ASCEND Diverse Dozen (D12) cohort. Their Op-Eds are available to download for free. This year, the D12 is supported by the Office of Space Commerce, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce helping amplify underrepresented voices as they promote messages on space sustainability.
The ASCEND program featured a panel discussion including actors from the Star Trek television series, acknowledging that science fiction engages the imaginations of today’s aerospace community. Together with aerospace industry professionals, they explored the transformative power of art, technology, and reality.
AIAA signed a memorandum of understanding with Boryung, a healthcare investment company based in Seoul, South Korea, to expand the reach of the Humans in Space (HIS) platform as the two organizations seek to foster engagement in the global space healthcare ecosystem.
Ten awards were presented to AIAA members and others from across the community, recognizing excellence in aerospace and aviation. AIAA is committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are recognized and celebrated for their achievements, innovations, and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous.
Highlights of the sessions, speakers, and attendees were captured in the AIAA Flickr album. Session recordings from the main stages of both events are available on the AIAA YouTube channel: AIAA AVIATION Forum Playlist and 2024 ASCEND Playlist.
Plans are already underway for next year’s events in Las Vegas: 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 21 – 25 July 2025, and 2025 ASCEND, 22 – 24 July 2025. Papers and sessions are invited from the aviation and space communities, as well as adjacent industries through the Call for Content which will open on 24 September 2024.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, rebeccag@aiaa.org, 804-397-5270
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. Visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
