American Astronautical Society

What American Astronautical Society does

The American Astronautical Society (AAS) is a private, non-profit professional society founded in 1954 and headquartered at 6352 Rolling Mill Place, Suite 102, Springfield, Virginia. Its core mission is to serve as a premier network of current and future space professionals, advancing all space activities through membership, peer-reviewed publishing, and convening. The society operates a portfolio of core products anchored by two publications — the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences (peer-reviewed coverage of astrodynamics, spaceflight mechanics, and astronautics research) and Space Times magazine (features, opinions, and policy commentary) — together with a recurring calendar of flagship events including the Von Braun Space Exploration Symposium, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium, the John Glenn Memorial Symposium, the ISS Research & Development Conference (ISSRDC), the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, and the AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting. Supporting products include the annual Student CanSat Competition, Future in Space Hangouts (a digital discussion series), a multi-award recognition program, and the AAS Fellowship distinction. Underlying technology is a professional society publishing and event platform distributed via astronautical.org, with editorial and production services provided through a long-standing partnership with Univelt, Inc.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid membership-and-events model: annual membership dues, per-event conference registrations ($200 for AAS members, $250 for non-member government/academia which includes a one-year membership, $100 for students), publication subscriptions and proceedings sales through Univelt, corporate membership programs, sponsorships, and donations. Go-to-market is primarily direct to a global base of individual space professionals, academics, and students, with corporate memberships and event sponsorships serving institutional customers across the space industry. Customer segments include space industry professionals (primary), academic institutions and researchers (primary), and government space agencies including NASA (secondary); events and content are delivered globally with documented international reach into Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, India, Japan, and Germany. AAS has no disclosed revenue figures, no funding rounds, no parent company, and operates with a 1–10 person staff, suggesting a lean organization sustained by volunteer governance, partner delivery, and a multi-decade brand.

Name

American Astronautical Society

Legal name

American Astronautical Society

Website

https://astronautical.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Astronautical Society is a non-profit professional society founded in 1954 that serves space industry professionals, academics, and government agencies through peer-reviewed publications, technical conferences, symposia, awards programs, and student competitions, providing networking, knowledge exchange, and professional development across the global space community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Society Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Professional society services
• Space science publications
• Aerospace conferences
• Astronautics membership
• Space industry networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Astronautical Society (AAS) is a non-profit professional society that advances space activities through peer-reviewed publications (The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and Space Times), national symposia and technical conferences, an annual awards and fellowship program, a Student CanSat Competition, and a tiered professional membership program. The society connects space industry professionals, academics, and government agencies through networking, knowledge exchange, and recognition mechanisms.

Product overview

The American Astronautical Society is a professional membership society that offers a portfolio of products and services centered around advancing space activities. The core offerings include two major publications (The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and Space Times magazine), multiple annual conferences and symposia (Von Braun Space Exploration Symposium, John Glenn Memorial Symposium, Goddard Space Science Symposium, ISS R&D Conference, and Astrodynamics Specialist Conference), the Student CanSat Competition, an annual awards program, fellowship recognition, and membership services. The society also partners with Univelt for publishing and distribution. These products and services work together to connect space professionals, disseminate research, recognize achievements, and foster the next generation of aerospace talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences Official peer-reviewed technical journal of AAS covering astrodynamics, spaceflight mechanics, and astronautics research, available through institutional and individual subscriptions.
• Space Times

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Univelt, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partner for AAS technical conference proceedings and publications. Univelt handles editorial and production services for disseminating research, insights, and innovations from AAS conferences.
• Future Space Leaders FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative organization supporting career development for graduate students and young professionals pursuing space-related careers through grant programs and participation in International Astronautical Congress.
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent organization partnership fostering next-generation space professionals through education, conferences, and networking opportunities.
• Federation of Galaxy ExplorersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting space education and outreach programs for students and young enthusiasts.
• Space NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia sponsor providing coverage and visibility for AAS events and space industry news.
• Space CalendarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalendar partner for listing space-related events and conferences.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with NASA spanning over 70 years to advance goals of space science, space robotics, and human space exploration. AAS works alongside NASA on shaping the U.S. space program.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and Space Flight Mechanics meetings, combining expertise in astronautics and aerospace engineering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• British Interplanetary Society (BIS): BIS is one of the oldest space advocacy and professional societies (founded 1933), publishing the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society and running technical symposia. It mirrors AAS's space-focused society model with member publications, conferences, and awards.
• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS): RAeS is the world's oldest aeronautical society (1866) and serves a similar professional member function in the UK. Both organizations run flagship journals, conferences, awards, and fellowship programs aimed at aerospace professionals.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): AIAA is the largest U.S. aerospace professional society and AAS's closest direct peer. AAS co-sponsors technical conferences with AIAA (Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Space Flight Mechanics meetings), and the two organizations compete for members in overlapping astronautics and aerospace engineering audiences.
• National Space Society (NSS): NSS is a U.S.-based space advocacy and professional grassroots organization. While more advocacy-focused, it maintains a membership model, conferences (International Space Development Conference), publications, and awards that overlap with AAS's community-building function.
• International Astronautical Federation (IAF): IAF is the global federation of astronautics societies and the organizer of the International Astronautical Congress. AAS is the U.S. member society for IAF, making it a direct international counterpart in the same professional society model, with overlapping membership and award communities.

Emerging players

• Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC): SGAC represents university students and young professionals in the global space sector, with close ties to the United Nations. It directly overlaps with AAS's student programs (CanSat) and Future Space Leaders Foundation partnership, serving a similar demographic in the space community.
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS): SEDS is an international student-run space advocacy organization with chapters at universities worldwide. AAS has a core strategic partnership with SEDS, and the two organizations share the student/young professional pipeline in space activities.
• The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society is the largest U.S. space advocacy organization with a global membership base. While it focuses more on public engagement and space science funding advocacy, it overlaps with AAS in targeting space-interested professionals and enthusiasts through publications and events.
• Space Frontier Foundation: Space Frontier Foundation is a U.S. space advocacy nonprofit focused on commercial space development. While smaller and more advocacy-focused, it overlaps with AAS in the professional space community and on policy-related discussions.

Others

• Universities Space Research Association (USRA): USRA is a nonprofit consortium of universities that operates space-related research facilities and programs. It overlaps with AAS in serving academic and research institutions in the space science community and collaborates on workforce development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@aasastronautical
• Facebookfacebook.com/americanastronauticalsociety
• Xx.com/astrosociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/aas_astronautical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-astronautical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Astronautical Society