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
- Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050: Overview
- NASA Funds New Studies Looking at Future of Sustainable Aircraft
- Additional Aviation Sustainability Strategies
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
- Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026:
- Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 Phase I: Aurora Flight Sciences Study Overview
- Aurora AACES Technology Identification, Prioritization, and Roadmapping
- Fleet Level Scenario Assessment of Future Aircraft Concepts
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
- Aircraft MDAO Framework and Design Space Exploration toward Environmental Sustainability
- Incorporating Contrail Avoidance in Aircraft Design and Optimization
- Acoustics Modeling within Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization of Novel Transport Aircraft
- Battery Modeling To Enable Gradient-based Optimization of Electrified Aircraft Mission and Design
- Robust Approach to Engine Cycle Modeling to Enable Multidisciplinary Optimization of Advanced Aircraft
- Thermal Management System Modeling and Architectures for Conceptual Design of Electrified Aircraft
- Trade-Offs in Ultra-Efficient Aircraft Design: Electrification and Integration Technologies for 2050
- Next-Generation Transport Aircraft: Ultra-Efficient Vehicles Enabled by Electrification and Integration Technologies
- Sessions:
- 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
- Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026
- Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 Phase I: Aurora Flight Sciences Study Overview
- Aurora AACES Technology Identification, Prioritization, and Roadmapping
- Fleet Level Scenario Assessment of Future Aircraft Concepts
JetZero
Concept aircraft
Credit: JetZero
- “Stability-Driven Preliminary Blended Wing Body Design With Foresight for Hydrogen Fuel Adoption,” AIAA 2026-1491, Sai Sankalp Shekar, Aidan R. Molloy, Matteo Guidotti and Matthew A. Clarke
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2026-1491 - Presentations at AIAA Aviation 2026
- MDO for Aero Shape & LH2 Tank Integration, Special Cryogenic Fuels Session
Pratt & Whitney
Advanced propulsion concept
Credit: Pratt & Whitney