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Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050

Encyclopedia
Updated Jun 2, 2026
Credit: Georgia Tech

Contents

Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050

Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) is a NASA initiative, commissioning industry and academia to develop transformative aircraft designs, propulsion technologies, and sustainability solutions for commercial aviation by 2050.

AACES 2050 falls under NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program, which evaluates and develops technologies for new aircraft systems and explores promising air travel concepts. 

Resources

NASA

Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026:

  • Transforming Aviation for 2050: NASA AACES 2050 Results and Impact, part 1
  • Transforming Aviation for 2050: NASA AACES 2050 Results and Impact, part 2

Boeing/Aurora Flight Sciences

Concept aircraft
Credit: Boeing/Aurora
  • Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026:
    • Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 Phase I: Aurora Flight Sciences Study Overview, AIAA 2026-4061, Deb Neuman, Daniel Gil, Georgi K. Hristov, Madelyn Focaracci, Francesco Giannini, Aaron Kutzmann, Martha Neubauer, Jose Martinez, Neal Quinn and Zachary Hoisington
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4061
    • Aurora Flight Sciences AACES Technology Identification, Prioritization, and Roadmapping, AIAA 2026-4209, Deb Neuman, Daniel Gil, Francesco Giannini, Madelyn Focaracci, Georgi K. Hristov, Aaron Kutzmann, Martha Neubauer, Zachary Hoisington, Jose Martinez and Neal Quinn
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4209
    • Fleet Level Scenario Assessment of Future Aircraft Concepts, AIAA 2026-4211, Deb Neuman, Aaron Kutzmann, Martha Neubauer and Madelyn Focaracci
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4211

Electra

Concept aircraft
Credit: Electra
  • “Future Scenario Development Framework for Novel 2050 Transport Aircraft,” AIAA 2026-0224, Ara Mahseredjian and Parker Vascik
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2026-0224
  • “Gradient-Based MDAO Framework for Advanced Aircraft Concepts,” AIAA 2026-1302, Shugo Kaneko, Maxfield G. Arnson, Hannah Hajdik, Gokcin Cinar, Joaquim Martins and Alejandra Uranga
    https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2026-1302
  • Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026
    • “Future Scenarios and Technology Assessments for Novel 2050-Timeframe Transport Aircraft,” AIAA 2026-4469, Ara Mahseredjian, Parker Vascik, and Alejandra Uranga
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4469
    • “Modeling Demand for Novel Aircraft in a Competitive Market: A 2050 to 2100 Case Study for Hybrid Electric Aircraft,” AIAA 2026-4470, Sinan Abdulhak, David Kwon, Shibo Huang, Ara Mahseredjian, Parker Vascik and Max Z. Li
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4470
    • “Battery Modeling To Enable Gradient-Based Optimization of Electrified Aircraft Mission and Design,” AIAA 2026-4539, Amal S. Sebastian, Shugo Kaneko, Hannah Hajdik, Alejandra Uranga, Joaquim R. Martins and Venkatasubramanian Viswanathan
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4539
    • “Thermal Management System Modeling and Architectures for Conceptual Design of Electrified Aircraft,” AIAA 2026-4540, Maxfield G. Arnson, Gokcin Cinar and Alejandra Uranga
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4540
    • “Acoustic Modeling within Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization of Novel Transport Aircraft,” AIAA 2026-4541, Hanshita Hassanandani, Mallory Mott, Alejandro Lopez Cotrina, Seraphin Yeung, Alejandra Uranga and Jacqueline L. Huynh
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4541
    • “Incorporating Contrail Avoidance in Aircraft Design and Optimization,” AIAA 2026-4542, Aditeya Shukla, Prashanth Prakash, Prateek Ranjan and Raymond L. Speth
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4542
    • Presentation: “Aircraft MDAO Framework and Design Space Exploration toward Environmental Sustainability”
    • Presentation: “Trade-Offs in Ultra-Efficient Aircraft Design: Electrification and Integration Technologies for 2050”
    • Presentation: “Next-Generation Transport Aircraft: Ultra-Efficient Vehicles Enabled by Integration Technologies”
    • Presentation: “Robust Approach to Engine Cycle Modeling to Enable Multidisciplinary Optimization of Advanced Aircraft”
    • Panel Session: “Challenges and opportunities in Aircraft Design for Electrification: Electra NASA AACES 2050”
      • Pioneering Novel Aircraft for the Third Era of Aviation: Electra NASA AACES 2050
      • Constituent models for MDAO of novel aircraft: Electra NASA AACES 2050
  • Presentation at IGTI TurboExpo 2026
    • A gas turbine design framework for integrated electrified aircraft using multidisciplinary design optimization

Georgia Institute of Technology

Athena Concept Aircraft
Credit: Georgia Tech

JetZero

Concept aircraft
Credit: JetZero

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney HySIITE (Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter-cooled Turbine Engine) concept
© 2026 RTX Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Division. Reproduced with permission.
  • Presentations at Aviation 2026
    • “Multi-fuel Combustion – Enabling the Transition to Hydrogen”, AIAA 2026-4505, Simon Evans, Neil Terwilliger, Gregory Chere, Sean Bradshaw, and Russell Stratton
      https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-4505