Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award Open for Nominations 10 February 2025 – 1 June 2025

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Approved by the Board of Directors in 1998, the Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control Award was established to recognize individuals that have made important and substantial contributions in the field of guidance, navigation and control.

This award is to be considered a lifetime achievement award, and is presented biennially (in even years) generally at the AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (AIAA SciTech Forum).

Deadlines:
Accepting Online Nominations: 10 February (Odd-numbered years)
Nomination Deadline: 1 June (Odd-numbered years)
Endorsement Letters Deadline: 1 July (Odd-numbered years)

Award Recipients

2022

  • Dr Siva S Banda
    Air Force Research Laboratory
    Awarded
    Award: 2022 AIAA Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control Award
    AIAA Citation: For outstanding and sustained contributions to advancing flight control theory and its applications.

2018

  • Dr Mark J Balas
    The University of Tennessee Space
    Awarded
    Award: For sustained excellence in developing the frontiers of theory and practice in advanced adaptive control systems for complex and dynamic systems
    AIAA Citation: For sustained excellence in developing the frontiers of theory and practice in advanced adaptive control systems for complex and dynamic systems

2016

  • Dr Kyle T Alfriend
    Texas A&M University (career opp)
    Awarded
    Award: 2016 AIAA Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award
    AIAA Citation: “For significant lifetime contributions to spacecraft formation-flying technologies, fostering international scientific cooperation, and leadership to the aerospace guidance and control communities.”

2014

  • Prof Bernard Etkin
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For outstanding achievement in and dedication to research and education in the field of guidance, navigation and control for over a half century.

2012

  • Dr Jason L Speyer
    UCLA
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For significant contributions to deterministic and stochastic optimal control theory and their application to important aerospace engineering problems.

2010

  • Dr Anthony J Calise
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For seminal innovations and novel contributions in the theoretical development and application of biologically inspired adaptive control systems for aerospace vehicles and systems.

2008

  • Dr F. Landis Markley
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For seminal contributions in the area of spacecraft attitude estimation and for guidance, navigation and control support of several key spacecraft missions.

2006

  • Dr John L Junkins
    Texas A&M University
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For significant and lasting contributions to aerospace guidance, navigation and control, and for leadership in the aerospace community.

2004

  • Mr. Duane T McRuer
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: Mr. Duane McRuer is a pioneer in the fields of manual and automatic control and is credited as the inventor of the stability augmentation concept

2002

  • Dr Richard H Battin
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For contributions to the theory and practice of astrodynamics which guided our astronauts to the moon, and for articulating these concepts to a multitude of students

2000

  • Dr Arthur E Bryson
    Stanford University
    Awarded
    AIAA Citation: For significant lifetime contributions to the theory and practice of optimal guidance, navigation, and control, leading to exemplary aerospace systems and providing the foundation for future achievements