David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Open for Nominations 10 November 2024 – 15 January 2025

Home / Get Involved / Honors & Awards / Awards

The David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award provides an annual lecture to recognize a prominent industry leader or senior management team (up to three individuals) who have created or grown a space-related business and generated substantial economic benefits and market value.

The award is sponsored and endowed by Orbital ATK Inc., (now Northrop Grumman) to commemorate the long and distinguished career of commercial space pioneer, David W. Thompson.

This award is generally presented at the AIAA AVIATION Forum/ASCEND.


Deadlines:
Accepting Online Nominations: 10 November
Nomination Deadline: 15 January
Endorsement Letters Deadline: 1 February

Online Awards Nomination System 

Award Recipients

2023

  • Mr George T Whitesides
    Former CEO, Virgin Galactic
    Awarded
    Award: 2023 AIAA David W Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award
    AIAA Citation: "Connecting Space to Earth"

2021

  • Walter Scott
    Maxar
    Awarded
    Award: 2021 AIAA Thompson Space Commerce Lectureship
    AIAA Citation: Lecture: Birth of the Remote Sensing Industry

2020

  • Charlie Ergen
    Awarded
    Award: 2020 David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award
    AIAA Citation: “Transforming a Company in a Changing Industry.”

2019

  • Eddy Hartenstein
    Tribune Publishing | Yahoo!
    Awarded
    Award: 2019 David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award
    AIAA Citation: Communications Satellites — Then, Now, and Where Next?

2018

  • Charles R Trimble
    Trimble Navigation
    Awarded
    Award: 2018 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce
    AIAA Citation: Pioneering Space and Commercialization of GPS