Throughout human history, we have pondered the great mysteries, such as the formation of the universe and our solar system, the existence of life on other planets, and how we can better understand the complex systems of the Earth. Within the past century, advances in space technology have allowed us to make great leaps in our understanding of these and other scientific frontiers.

As we seek to further accelerate the growth of the space economy and make strides toward our off-world future, it is imperative that we leverage the resultant new technologies and capabilities to expand our understanding of the solar system and the universe. We must address the most crucial scientific questions that remain unanswered. This theme focuses attention on these questions, as prioritized by the scientific community in publications such as the U.S. NASA-requested decadal surveys, and to identify opportunities and challenges that can be addressed through increased activities and human presence in space. This theme concerns all space science and robotic exploration missions, including Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, Earth Science, and Biological and Physical Sciences.

Submissions may relate to items, such as:

• Science Missions: Planning and Design, Achievements, Lessons, and Discoveries
• Potential Environmental Impact Considerations/Issues Regarding Planetary Exploration
• Cross-Disciplined Sciences Supporting or Informing the Space Ecosystem
• Opportunities for Leveraging or Lessons Learned for Future Developers
• Reviews of Space Program Status for Public Information
• Enabling Infrastructure, Architectures, Platforms, or Tools (Digital Engineering/AI) to Safely Support a Safe and Persistent Human and Robotic Space Presence and Space Logistics

Over half a century after the first humans were sent to Earth orbit and to the surface of the Moon, the next few decades will now see a second wave of human space exploration, back to the Moon and on to Mars. This will require significant scientific and technological advancements to overcome the challenges posed by the new environments and significantly longer missions.

This theme focuses on all aspects of human space flight and exploration, including the design and operation of human spaceflight missions and programs, extravehicular activity, topics in human health and performance (empirical studies, models, countermeasures), and advances in human-systems integration.

Submissions may relate to items, such as:

• Human Spaceflight Programs: Moon (e.g., Artemis), Moon To Mars, Mars
• In-Space and surface habitats
• Spacesuits
• Human Health and Performance: effects of radiation, hypogravity, confinement and isolation, etc.
• Environmental Control and Life Support Systems
• Human-Machine Teaming
• Space settlements
• Space tourism

Space, once a relatively untouched domain, is now a bustling frontier for commercial, civil, government, and military activities. As our reliance on space-based and supporting assets grows, so does the need to protect them. Furthermore, to support decreasing transition time periods, agency efforts to accelerate fielding of new ideas through non-traditional acquisition processes are being developed and put into practice. Space Security and Protection is vital to ensure the safety, sustainability, and resilience of these assets and the critical services they provide.

The AIAA ASCEND Space Security and Protection theme will address the full spectrum of challenges and solutions in this rapidly evolving field, from technological advancements in Space Domain Awareness and Space Traffic Management to policy frameworks for international cooperation. Join us as we explore innovative approaches to safeguarding our space-based future. In particular, this focus area within AIAA ASCEND is interested in the following challenges:

• Space Domain Awareness (SDA): Advancements in SDA technologies, including multi-phenomenology, heterogenous sensor network data fusion, automation & autonomy for dynamic sensor tasking, orchestration, and command/control, and pattern-of-life/change/anomaly detection for enhanced space object tracking and characterization.
• Space Debris and Sustainability: Strategies and technologies for mitigating the growing threat of orbital debris, including active debris removal, collision avoidance systems, and materials/ design for reusability and/or demise.
• Space Traffic Management (STM): Innovative approaches to STM, including policy frameworks, spectrum allocation and practices, conjunction management, international cooperation, and technological solutions for safe and sustainable space operations.
• Space Cybersecurity: Strategies and technologies for protecting space systems from cyber threats, including vulnerabilities in ground stations, interconnectivity across system/ system of systems communication links, and onboard software.
• Satellite Resilience: Techniques for enhancing the resilience of space systems against natural and man-made hazards, such as space weather events, debris collisions, and other contested space threats.
• Emerging Threats and Challenges: Analysis of novel threats to space security, including cyber-physical attacks, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled threats, and other unexpected exploitations of unexpected technologies.
• Science & Technology for Space Operations in Contested Environments – innovation and new methods for training, exercises, wargaming, and development of the art and science of space warfighting, including human-machine interfaces for space systems, space operator task/workload analysis, technologies and techniques for increasing space operator and space operations teams’ effectiveness and efficiency.

Recent analyses suggest that the space economy is at a major tipping point toward rapid exponential growth. Realizing the full potential of that growth—a forecasted $1 trillion globally by 2040  —demands bringing together business leaders, academics, innovators, investors, technical experts, government stakeholders, and decision makers to envision, design, and build the future of space commerce together. ASCEND seeks papers that discuss and support this community while inspiring new approaches and lessons learned from relevant markets.

Submissions may relate to items such as:

• Emerging Commercial Services and Capabilities in Progress (like On-Orbit Servicing)
• Market Research Products
• Business Plans and Opportunities to Enable Synergistic Implementation and Exploitation
• Major Cost Drivers and Potential Solutions (for Establishment and Expansion of Space Commerce)
• Strategies and Success Stories for Public Awareness

Achieving the goals of future space endeavors will require developing new enabling technologies and supporting space and terrestrial Infrastructure. This topic focuses on new cross-cutting Technologies, Capabilities, Architectures, Platforms, or Tools   to support a safe and persistent human and robotic space presence.

Submissions may relate to items such as:

• Space and Ground Communication and Navigation Infrastructure
• Autonomous space systems
• Sensor systems
• In-Space Refueling, Assembly and Manufacturing
• Space Power, Propulsion, and Thermal Systems
• Off-Earth Resource Extraction and Utilization
• Space Transportation
• Space Logistics
• Transformative Systems engineering: Digital Engineering, Model-Based Systems Engineering

The implementation of current and future space exploration plans will require the development of new space policy, new legal frameworks, and the establishment of new space governance models. This is currently a roadblock for space activities, especially for longer term ones such as space resource markets and space settlements. Abstracts submitted to this theme may address any areas of space policy, law, and governance, from current challenges and legal gaps to proposed solutions and lessons learned from other areas.

Submissions may relate to items such as:

• International cooperation and developing and evolving new treaties
• Lessons learned from other Commons: Antarctica, Deep Sea, etc.
• Space Traffic management and orbital debris mitigation governance
• Legal frameworks supporting exploration and exploitation of the Moon, Asteroids, and other space resources
• Governance models for Lunar and Martian enterprises and settlements
• Policy for effective Public-Private Partnerships
• Ethical implications of legal and governance frameworks

Space activities shape human lives in many ways and there is a continuous need to consider the human element and the societal impact of space endeavors. The recent explosive growth in the commercial space industry has led to one of the most dynamic and exciting periods of expansion of the aerospace workforce. However, this vitality and growth has not come without challenges: workforce retention and management has become a first-order concern, prevalent across the industry. At the same time, our industry is becoming increasingly conscious of the critical importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in our schools, and yet challenged to impart significant traction in this regard. Emergent technological needs in areas like artificial intelligence, human-robot teaming and cybersecurity are driving our system requirements and capabilities, resulting in significant changes in the educational needs of modern-day aerospace engineers. This phenomenon also reaches many other areas of our society by transforming the relationship between space and society, culture, and the arts. ASCEND seeks papers to shed light on all these issues within the broad impacts of space activities on society and help our economic sector wrap its arms around these huge challenges.

Submissions may relate to items such as:

• Educational Approaches; Curriculum Strategies
• Workforce Development, Retention and Management
• Commercial aerospace economic ‘up/down’ reaction upon industry Workforce
• Legacy, Lessons-Learned, continued involvement of Older Workforce
• Outreach Initiatives and Programs
• Diversity, Advocacy, Equality, and Inclusion
• Synergistic Approaches by Academia, Government, and Industry
• Societal impacts of space activities and technologies and related spin-offs