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Call for Content
Publish and Present a Technical Paper or Organize and Lead a Collaborative Session
The call for sessions and technical papers for ASCEND 2027 will open on 21 July 2026. Subscribe for updates to be notified when submissions open.
CALL FOR CONTENT FOR ASCEND 2027 OPENS 21 JULY
Join the global space community to share your insights, research, and innovations that are shaping the future of space.
The ASCEND 2027 Technical Program Committee welcomes abstracts and session proposals from professionals, researchers, innovators, and students across government, industry, and academia.
Submissions for ASCEND technical papers and sessions should clearly connect to real-world missions, operational needs, or long-term strategic goals. Submissions should present original work, applied solutions, lessons learned, and/or thought leadership that advances the space field.
The Call for Content is organized in six Core Topic Areas. Click to see a description of each area.
- Cross-cutting Technologies
- Human Spaceflight
- National Security
- Science and Robotic Exploration Missions
- Space Economy, Policy, Law and Society
- Space Infrastructure Development
We encourage submissions that reflect diverse perspectives and promote collaboration across sectors, disciplines, and domains. Papers that engage with broader cross-cutting issues are strongly encouraged. Areas of interest include public-private collaboration, approaches to technology transfer and commercialization, strategies for sustainability and responsible conduct, the role of dual-use technologies and civil-military integration, long-term planning to guide future developments, and engineering approaches that support cross-domain integration and mission adaptability, among other relevant topics.
2027 Technical Program Committee
If you have questions about submission topics and our interdisciplinary approach, please reach out to one of the 2027 ASCEND Technical Program Chairs:
-
- Daniel (Dani) Selva | Technical Program Co-Chair
- Laurent Sibille | Technical Program Co-Chair
Key Dates and Deadlines
Questions?
If you have questions about submission topics and our interdisciplinary approach, please reach out to:
- Natalia Larrea Brito | AIAA Senior Director, Space
- April DeNoto | AIAA ASCEND Forum Content Manager
Session Formats
Step One: Pick One Format
Debates
A classic debate where a provocative question is posed and both sides are represented.
A classic debate where a provocative question is posed and both sides are represented.
Panel
A moderated discussion between a small group of experts with audience participation through Q&A.
A moderated discussion between a small group of experts with audience participation through Q&A.
Roundtables
An interactive participation by attendees and roundtable facilitators to collaboratively probe issues and leverage collective experiences to develop a deeper, shared understanding.
An interactive participation by attendees and roundtable facilitators to collaboratively probe issues and leverage collective experiences to develop a deeper, shared understanding.
Town Hall
A gathering of a community around a central topic for discussion and planning that includes high levels of attendee participation in open discussion.
A gathering of a community around a central topic for discussion and planning that includes high levels of attendee participation in open discussion.
Tutorial
An interactive learning session that includes the participation of attendees and may award certification or continuing education credits.
An interactive learning session that includes the participation of attendees and may award certification or continuing education credits.
Workshop
A collaborative session in which attendees are dispersed into small groups to discuss a central topic/theme, focused on developing outcomes, and capturing the collective wisdom/ideation.
A collaborative session in which attendees are dispersed into small groups to discuss a central topic/theme, focused on developing outcomes, and capturing the collective wisdom/ideation.
Paper and Session Topics
Step Two: Pick One Topic
Session Submissions
- Session proposals should be multidisciplinary and reflect diverse perspectives to support meaningful, forward-looking dialogue. Clearly define the objectives of your session and what the ASCEND community will gain from the experience. Proposals should promote collaboration across multiple levels, including international partnerships, inter-industry cooperation, industry-academia engagement, and public-private initiatives. The goal is to deepen mutual understanding, address shared challenges, explore collective opportunities, and advance common objectives through open and constructive exchange.
Session Submission Requirements
Title
- Your title should convey to forum organizers and attendees exactly what your session is about.
Short Session Description
- Provide as much specificity as possible. Organizers will use your description to determine if and where your idea fits in the overall program. Please do not use this section to include names of potential speakers of your session.
Contact Information
- Tell us who you are, where you are from, and how to connect with you. If your session is accepted for inclusion in ASCEND, this information will be used to contact you.
Session Length
- Longer is not always better. Session lengths will be determined based on the ideas received and the overall flow of the program. Think about how much time is absolutely needed to convey the ideas and drive the outcomes you desire. If you session is accepted, duration may differ from what is requested.
Extended Description
- This is a longer, more in-depth description of the background and details of the proposal that will be used only for the review of the proposal if needed. This is a good place to include the types or specific names of speakers you are envisioning for your submission. Diverse perspectives are critical at ASCEND so please reflect that here if you have speaker ideas.
Session Goals and Outcomes
- This is where the rubber meets the road. Think through what will come out of this conversation at ASCEND – is it a whitepaper, formation of a new committee or working group, an actionable set of priorities, something else? If we revisit your session a year later, what would have been accomplished in the interim?
Session Topics
Cross-cutting Technologies ↓
Space missions increasingly depend on foundational technologies that cut across disciplines, domains, and mission types. Advances in these areas enable progress across space activities from concept to operations.
Papers and session proposals are invited on technologies and engineering approaches that are broadly applicable across space systems and missions. Submissions from industry, government, and academia are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Astrodynamics and space environments
- Autonomy
- Avionics and flight software
- Guidance, navigation, and control
- Launch, transportation, and entry systems
- Materials and structures
- Payloads, sensor systems, and information fusion
- Power, propulsion, and thermal systems
- Simulation, systems modeling, and digital engineering
- Small satellite technologies
- Space operations and support
- Space systems engineering
- Other topics in cross-cutting technologies
Human Spaceflight ↓
Human presence in space demands solutions to some of the most complex engineering, medical, and operational challenges of our time. As missions extend beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, ensuring crew health, safety, and performance, and the systems that sustain them, is paramount.
Papers and session proposals are invited on the technologies, systems, and research that enable safe and effective human spaceflight. Submissions from industry, government, academia, and adjacent sectors such as healthcare and biomedical research are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Behavioral health in space
- Human health, performance, and countermeasures
- Human systems integration
- Human-machine teaming
- Life support and bioregenerative systems
- Rescue and emergency operations
- Spacesuits and EVA
- Other topics in human spaceflight
National Security ↓
As space becomes an increasingly strategic asset, its role in national and global security continues to grow. Space-based capabilities are critical to modern defense, intelligence, and emergency response systems, while the space environment itself is becoming more contested, congested, and competitive. The integration of civil, commercial, and military space assets raises complex questions around resilience, dual-use technologies, and deterrence.
Papers and session proposals are solicited on security-related aspects of space operations and technologies. This may include emerging threats, strategic frameworks, capability development, and approaches to ensure the safety, stability, and responsible use of space from a national security perspective. Submissions from industry, government, and academia are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Cybersecurity
- Dual-use technologies and civil-military integration
- Emerging threats and challenges
- Resilience and protection of space assets
- Space domain awareness
- Space operator readiness and human-system integration
- Space-based defenses
- Other topics in national security
Science and Robotic Exploration Missions ↓
Space science and exploration continue to drive innovation, foster international collaboration, and expand our understanding of the universe. As we advance toward an off-world future, it is essential to harness emerging technologies and capabilities to deepen our knowledge of the solar system and beyond. This topic highlights high-priority scientific questions, as outlined in decadal surveys and community roadmaps, and examines the systems and technologies needed to enable long-duration missions.
Papers and session proposals are invited on research, technologies, and mission concepts that advance space science and robotic exploration. Contributions from adjacent terrestrial fields that offer potential cross-pollination with space exploration are also welcome. Submissions from industry, government, and academia are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Analog missions and simulation environments
- Astronomy, astrophysics, and heliophysics
- Earth science
- Microgravity and partial gravity science
- Mission architecture and planning
- Planetary science
- Robotics, mobility, and surface operations for exploration
- Science outreach and communication
- Space resources exploration
- Space weather
- Other topics in science and robotic exploration missions
Space Economy, Policy, Law and Society ↓
The space sector is evolving rapidly, shaped by expanding commercial activity, new legal challenges, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and growing societal requirements. Understanding the economic, legal, policy, and governance dimensions of this transformation is essential for building a sustainable and prosperous space future.
Papers and session proposals are invited on the economic, financial, commercial, legal, policy, and governance dimensions of the space sector. Submissions from industry, government, academia, and civil society are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Commercialization and business models
- Cross-sector collaboration and partnership models
- Ethical and public-private dimensions
- Governance models
- Investment and access to capital
- Market trends and dynamics
- National and international space law
- Regulatory reforms and licensing process
- Socio-economic impacts and value creation
- Space policy and strategic planning
- Space sustainability and planetary protection
- Workforce and education
- Other topics in space economy, policy, law and society
Space Infrastructure Development ↓
A permanent and scalable human and robotic presence in space depends on robust infrastructure in Earth orbit, on the lunar surface and cislunar space, and eventually on Mars and beyond. From communications networks and power systems to in-space servicing and orbital data centers, the development of this infrastructure is a defining challenge and opportunity of the coming decades.
Papers and session proposals are invited on the design, development, and deployment of infrastructure that enables sustained operations in space. Submissions from industry, government, and academia are encouraged.
Specific subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Communications
- Imaging and remote sensing services
- In-space risk mitigation (e.g., space debris, orbital congestion, solar events)
- Lunar infrastructure development
- Mars infrastructure development
- Navigation
- Orbital data centers
- Robotics, mobility, and surface operations for space infrastructure
- Space architecture, stations, and habitats
- Space logistics, refueling, and ISAM
- Space power infrastructure
- Space resources utilization
- Other topics in space infrastructure development
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