Acta Astronautica

Acta Astronautica
source
Title	Acta Astronautica
Discipline	Astronautics
Abbreviation	Acta Astronaut.
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	Netherlands
Frequency	Monthly
History	1955–present
Impact	2.9
Issn	0094-5765

Acta Astronautica is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on research in astronautics, aerospace engineering, spaceflight operations, planetary science, and space policy. Established in the mid-20th century, the journal addresses technical, scientific, and programmatic issues relevant to agencies, companies, and academic institutions involved in space activities. It serves as a venue for original research, review articles, and conference proceedings intersecting with major projects, missions, and organizations.

Overview

Acta Astronautica publishes original research articles, review articles, and conference papers that inform practitioners and researchers at institutions such as NASA, European Space Agency, Roscosmos, China National Space Administration, and JAXA. Authors affiliated with universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, and Tsinghua University contribute alongside industry groups including Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. The readership spans members of professional societies and organizations such as International Astronautical Federation, AIAA, IEEE, Royal Astronomical Society, and International Academy of Astronautics.

Scope and Topics Covered

The journal addresses interdisciplinary topics pertinent to missions like Apollo program, Voyager program, Cassini–Huygens, Mars Exploration Rover, Curiosity rover, Perseverance rover, and Artemis program. Coverage includes spacecraft design and systems engineering relevant to projects such as International Space Station, Skylon, Orion (spacecraft), and Dragon (spacecraft), as well as propulsion technologies tied to V-2 rocket, Saturn V, Falcon 9, New Shepard, NERVA concepts, and studies inspired by missions like New Horizons. The journal also treats topics in satellite systems reflected in GPS (satellite constellation), Iridium (satellite constellation), Galileo (satellite navigation), and Copernicus Programme, and human factors research drawing on studies from Mercury (spaceflight program), Gemini (spacecraft), and Skylab.

History and Development

Acta Astronautica traces its origins to the post-World War II expansion of aerospace research that included institutions such as Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CERN collaborations, and national programs like Soviet space program and United States space program. Throughout the Cold War era marked by events such as the Sputnik crisis and the Space Race, the journal documented advances connected to programs like Vostok programme, Soyuz programme, and Shenzhou programme. During later decades the journal reflected the commercialization wave influenced by companies such as McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Grumman and new actors exemplified by Virgin Galactic. Key editorial milestones aligned with conferences such as the International Astronautical Congress and cooperative initiatives like the International Space Station partnership.

Editorial Organization and Peer Review

The editorial structure includes an editor-in-chief supported by associate editors and an international editorial board with members from institutions including California Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, and Moscow State University. The peer-review process is single- or double-blind and engages reviewers from agencies and organizations like ESA, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, DLR, CNES, and ISRO. Special issues often arise from symposia tied to conferences such as the AIAA SciTech Forum, IAC, and workshops hosted by European Southern Observatory and Royal Society affiliates.

Abstracting, Indexing, and Impact

Acta Astronautica is indexed in major databases including Scopus, Web of Science, NASA Astrophysics Data System, and INSPEC. Citation metrics compare with journals cited in contexts like Nature Astronomy, Journal of Geophysical Research, Advances in Space Research, and International Journal of Space Science and Engineering. Articles from the journal are frequently cited in policy and program documents produced by European Commission, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, World Meteorological Organization, and national agencies such as Canadian Space Agency and Australian Space Agency.

Notable Papers and Contributions

The journal has published influential articles on orbital mechanics building on work related to Kepler's laws, Hohmann transfer, and the Oberth effect, as well as systems analyses informing missions like Mars Sample Return and concepts evaluated for Lunar Gateway. It has hosted seminal engineering studies that impacted projects such as International Space Station design choices, launch vehicle reliability analyses applied to Saturn V successors, and trajectory optimization techniques used in Cassini–Huygens and Voyager program mission planning. Contributions have advanced propulsion, guidance, navigation, and control research with relevance to technologies pursued by DARPA, ESA ESTEC, and commercial firms like SpaceX and Rocket Lab.

Access and Publication Model

Acta Astronautica is published by Elsevier on a subscription and hybrid open-access model, offering traditional subscription access alongside options for authors to publish open access under Creative Commons licenses. The journal coordinates with preprint repositories and community practices established by arXiv and institutional repositories at universities like Harvard University and University of Oxford. Publication timelines, article processing charges, and copyright policies align with standards set by publishing bodies including the Committee on Publication Ethics and industry norms among major publishers such as Springer Nature and Wiley.

Category:Aerospace engineering journals