Each year we give credit where credit is due by recognizing the outstanding accomplishments and inspiring leaders that fuel the motivation for space exploration. With no shortage of achievement, the aerospace industry is full of feats worthy of recognition and the American Astronautical Society aims to honor those with a slate of AAS awards. It is our pleasure to announce the winners of the 2025 AAS Awards and shed light on the success of our colleagues. Congratulations to these winners:
Advancement of International Cooperation Award
The Virgin Galactic ‘Galactic 01’ Mission is recognized for flying three Italian astronauts and over a dozen research payloads to space on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship, demonstrating space flight capabilities open to all nations.
David Vallado is recognized for outstanding contributions to astrodynamics, with applications in space domain awareness, orbit determination, and maneuver detection, and for educational contributions and open-source software via Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications.
Emerging Astrodynamicist Award
Koki Ho is recognized for substantial contributions to the field of space mission design and outstanding services to the astrodynamics community.
General Lance Lord is recognized for lifelong commitment to advancing U.S. space capabilities in the military and throughout the aerospace industry.
John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award
Steve Isakowitz is recognized for over four decades of visionary leadership in our nation’s civil, commercial, and national-security space efforts, advancing American space leadership through public service, innovation, integration, and public-private partnerships.
Mahhad Nayyer is recognized for inspiring the next generation of global space professionals through mentorship, outreach, and inclusive leadership, fostering international collaboration and expanding opportunities for emerging nations in pursuit of a sustainable space future.
Sidnee McGee is recognized for commitment to education and development of young professionals in the aerospace community through STEM education initiatives.
Sally Ride Excellence in Education Award
Mohammad Ayoubi is recognized for helping shape aerospace education at Santa Clara University by launching the aerospace engineering minor and the master’s program. He has designed more than ten undergraduate and graduate courses and frequently brings industry into the classroom through guest speakers and organized tours, giving students a direct connection to Silicon Valley’s aerospace community.
Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 is recognized for the first fully successful commercial Moon landing marking the longest commercial operations on the Moon to date.
The 2026 AAS awards cycle is open throughout the year. To learn more about our various awards, visit the awards nomination site here, or click the individual award names above.