Special Issues

Aerospace publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Challenges and Recent Advances in Model-Based Engineering for Aerospace submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 378 | Submission Open
Keywords: model-based engineering (MBE); model-based system engineering (MBSE); aerospace; knowledge-based engineering (KBE); digital twin (DT); ontology; semantics
Physical Interaction of Floating-Base Robotics for Advancing Aerospace Technologies
edited by Matteo Fumagalli
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 199 | Submission Open
Keywords: floating-base manipulation; aerial and space robotics; underwater; legged and humanoid robotics methods for aerospace applications; dynamics and control of floating-base systems; robot physical interaction
New Perspective on Flight Guidance, Control and Dynamics
edited by and Bangcheng Ai
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 135 | Submission Open
Keywords: flight modeling and simulation; flight guidance and control; artificial intelligence and optimization; information fusion and processing
Space Navigation and Control Technologies (2nd Edition)
edited by Xin Ma, Wei Zhang and Dongyu Li
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 91 | Submission Open
Keywords: autonomous navigation; integrated navigation; celestial navigation; pulsar navigation; optical navigation; maneuver control; networked spacecraft cooperation; adaptive systems; robotic control
Aerodynamic Numerical Optimization in UAV Design (2nd Edition)
edited by Aleksandar M. Simonović
submission deadline 30 Nov 2025 | Viewed by 85 | Submission Open
Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); aerodynamic design optimization; aerodynamic shape optimization; optimization design; multi-objective optimization (MDO); airfoil; wing; propeller; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); aerodynamic configuration
Aircraft Conceptual Design: Tools, Processes and Examples
edited by
submission deadline 1 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 119 | Submission Open
Keywords: aircraft design; design engineering; systems engineering; conceptual design; certification; aerodynamics; propulsion; structures; mass properties; operations research
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Application of Tether Technology in Space
edited by Gangqiang Li and Jinyu Liu
submission deadline 15 Dec 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2289 | Submission Open
Keywords: space tether; modeling technique; state estimator/observer; controller designer; experiment
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Space System Design
edited by Ed Kruzins and Edwin Peters
submission deadline 15 Dec 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 2272 | Submission Open
Keywords: advanced mission design; spacecraft subsystem innovations; modular and scalable space architectures; AI and ML in space system design; sustainability in space; integration of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Advances in UAVs: Design Methods, Performance Enhancement Techniques and Technologies submission deadline 15 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 248 | Submission Open
Keywords: UAVs; design and synthesis; innovative layouts; aerodynamics; optimization; flow control; alternative energy sources; solar energy; flight planning; structures; materials; airworthiness
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Advancing Fluid Dynamics in Aerospace Applications submission deadline 18 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 333 | Submission Open
Keywords: aerospace fluid dynamics; applied aerodynamics; computational and experimental aerodynamics; flow control and optimization; aero-propulsive interaction; high-speed flows; reduced-order modeling
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
From Satellite Systems Design, Verification and Testing to Spacecraft Operations
edited by
submission deadline 20 Dec 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 7902 | Submission Open
Keywords: spacecraft design; satellite systems; verification and testing; in-orbit testing; spacecraft operations; on-board software; hardware-in-the-loop testing; digital twin; operational efficiency; autonomous spacecraft; software automation; mission readiness
Adjoint-Based Techniques in Computational Fluid Dynamics: Theory and Applications
edited by and
submission deadline 20 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 395 | Submission Open
Keywords: adjoint equations  ; continuous adjoint method  ; discrete adjoint method  ; aerodynamic design  ; properties of adjoint solutions  ; gradient-based optimization  ; computational fluid dynamics  ; multidisciplinary optimization  ; adjoint-based stability analysis  ; error estimation and mesh adaptation  ; uncertainty quantification
Composite Materials and Aircraft Structural Design
edited by Morteza Abouhamzeh
submission deadline 20 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 113 | Submission Open
Keywords: aircraft design; aviation/aeronautical; composite; hybrid; biomaterials; optimization; novel aircraft structures; functional composites; modeling; optimizations
Flight Dynamics and Simulation of Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles
edited by and
submission deadline 20 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 110 | Submission Open
Keywords: flight dynamics; handling qualities; ride quality; control allocation; control design; control augmentation; unified control concept; flight simulation
Numerical Simulations in Electric Propulsion
edited by , , and Vittorio Giannetti
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 7 articles | Viewed by 16119 | Submission Open
Keywords: electric propulsion; plasma thrusters; plasma physics; numerical modeling; MHD; fluid methods; kinetic methods; particle-in-cell; hybrid methods
Artificial Intelligence in Aerospace Propulsion
edited by
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3534 | Submission Open
Keywords: artificial intelligence; machine learning; data-driven; digital twin; chemical propulsion; electric propulsion; rocket engine; plasma propulsion
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Advances in Landing Systems Engineering
edited by and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3184 | Submission Open
Keywords: landing gear systems; mechanical engineering; novel materials; optimization; multiphysics; interdisciplinary; noise; systems engineering; prognostics and health management
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Advanced Aircraft Structural Design and Applications
edited by Meiying Zhao, Liaojun Yao and Heyuan Huang
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 5 articles | Viewed by 2927 | Submission Open
Keywords: advanced aircraft structures; finite element analysis (FEA); composite materials; additive manufacturing in aerospace; fatigue and damage tolerance; structural integrity; lightweight design; adaptive and active structures; structural health monitoring; multidisciplinary optimization
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Structural Dynamics Modelling, Aeroelastic Analysis and Experimental Verification Methods for Aircraft Systems
edited by Weizhe Feng, and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 4 articles | Viewed by 2627 | Submission Open
Keywords: structural dynamic modeling; structural dynamic optimization; aeroelastic stability; aeroservoelastic stability; computational aeroelasticity; ground vibration test; wind tunnel test; data-driven virtual test techniques
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Aircraft Thermal Management Technologies
edited by Yongqi Xie and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2144 | Submission Open
Keywords: thermal management; thermal transport; environmental control; active/passive cooling; thermoelectric conversion; waste heat recovery; heat exchanger; energy storage; hybrid cooling systems
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Environmental Influences on Aircraft Aerodynamics
edited by Zhenlong Wu
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1824 | Submission Open
Keywords: aircraft; engine; aerodynamics; icing; heavy rain; turbulence; bird; sand and dust  
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Operational Requirements for Urban Air Traffic Management
edited by Isabel C. Metz and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 3 articles | Viewed by 1717 | Submission Open
Keywords: air traffic management; airspace integration; CONOPS; operations; urban air traffic management; vertiports
(This special issue belongs to the Section Air Traffic and Transportation)
Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1673 | Submission Open
Keywords: induced flow; flow control; flow separation; flow instability and turbulence; jet noise; shock wave– boundary layer interaction; power supply; alternative current dielectric barrier discharge; nano-second pulse dielectric barrier discharge; ozone production mechanism
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Flow and Heat Transfer in Solid Rocket Motors
edited by Yang Liu
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1614 | Submission Open
Keywords: solid rocket motor; complex flow and heat transfer; ablation mechanism; insulator; multiphase flow modeling; metal droplet behavior; design of combustion chamber and nozzle; combustion modeling; prediction of performance
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Recent Advances in Icing Studies and Energy-Efficient De-Icing/Anti-Icing Technologies
edited by , Wenqiang Zhang, Dongyu Zhu and Ningli Chen
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1545 | Submission Open
Keywords: icing; de-icing; anti-icing; SLD; ice crystal; icing physics; icing thermodynamics; phase change; heat/mass transfer; icing wind tunnel; icing detection; CFD
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Situational Awareness Using Space-Based Sensor Networks
edited by Zengfu Wang and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1156 | Submission Open
Keywords: space-based sensor networks; multi-source heterogeneous information fusion; target tracking; sensor resource management; distributed fusion; task planning; earth observation; space surveillance; satellite constellations
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Aircraft Design (SI-7/2025)
edited by
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1096 | Submission Open
Keywords: aeronautics; transportation; airplane; aircraft; design; payload; range; costs; synthesis; optimization; structure; engine; system; wing; fuselage; tail; undercarriage; education; training; case study; data set
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Vortex Flow Phenomena and Physics of Aerospace Engineering Applications (2nd Edition)
edited by , and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 852 | Submission Open
Keywords: aerodynamics; fluid dynamics; vortex dynamics; flow mechanism; flow physics; boundary layer; flow separation; viscous flow; flow transitions; flow instabilities
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Next-Generation Airport Operations and Management submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 2 articles | Viewed by 497 | Submission Open
Keywords: data-driven scheduling and gate assignment; turnaround management optimization; real-time passenger and baggage flow monitoring; collaborative decision-making; smart airport infrastructure; Internet of Things (IoT) solutions
(This special issue belongs to the Section Air Traffic and Transportation)
AI, Machine Learning and Automation for Air Traffic Control (ATC)
edited by , Pham Duc Thinh and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 488 | Submission Open
Keywords: AI-based predictive analytics for traffic flow and capacity management; human-in-the-loop decision-making; real-time conflict detection and resolution algorithms; safety assurance and ethical considerations in AI-driven ATC; next-generation decision support tools
(This special issue belongs to the Section Air Traffic and Transportation)
Aeroelasticity, Volume V
edited by , and Markus Raimund Ritter
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 414 | Submission Open
Keywords: innovative aircraft; aeroservoelasticity; composite structures; morphing wing; experimental tests; structural optimization
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Electric Power Systems and Components for All-Electric Aircraft (2nd Edition)
edited by
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | 1 articles | Viewed by 300 | Submission Open
Keywords: all-electric aircraft; power systems; circuit breakers; power cables; motors; batteries; fuel cells; supercapacitors; converters; storage resources; low pressures; arc; arc tracking; partial discharges
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Lunar Construction
edited by
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 164 | Submission Open
Keywords: lunar missions; deep space exploration; lunar construction; lunar environment
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Propulsion Solutions for Enhancing the Small Launchers’ Competitiveness
edited by Carmine Carmicino
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 149 | Submission Open
Keywords: green propellants; hybrid rockets; liquid rockets; efficient propulsion systems; small-satellites; light-weight composite structures; 3D printing
Aerospace Vehicles and Complex Fluid Flow Modelling
edited by László Könözsy
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 147 | Submission Open
Keywords: computational fluid dynamics (CFD); complex fluid-flow physics; computational engineering; computational modelling; numerical analysis; experimental techniques; aerospace vehicles; rotating aerospace vehicles; aircraft icing; aircraft landing; micro- and nano-satellites; cubesats; solid rocket propulsions
Guidance, Navigation and Control Algorithms for Satellite Formation Flying (2nd Edition)
edited by Gabriella Gaias and Jean-Sébastien Ardaens
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 141 | Submission Open
Keywords: relative navigation; relative orbit determination; spacecraft rendezvous; satellite formation flying; formation reconfiguration; active debris removal; autonomy; swarms; distributed space systems
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Aircraft Electric Power System II: Motor Drive Design and Control
edited by , , Hengliang Zhang, and
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 139 | Submission Open
Keywords: aircraft electrification; electric propulsion systems; electrical machine; motor drive; wide-bandgap semiconductors; high-power-density machines; fault-tolerant design; artificial intelligence; intelligent motor control; drive system integration
Structural Strength, Life Reliability and Design Optimization of Aircraft Engines
edited by Xi Liu and Cheng Yan
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 110 | Submission Open
Keywords: lifetime prediction; structural design; uncertainty quantification; reliability evaluation; reliability design; optimization algorithm; topology optimization; multi-disciplinary design optimization; surrogate model; correlation analysis
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Small Satellite Missions (2nd Edition)
edited by and Necmi Cihan Örger
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 103 | Submission Open
Keywords: small satellites; CubeSats; nano-satellites; micro-satellites; mini-satellites; AIV; system engineering; space systems; mission analysis; space traffic management
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
State Monitoring and Health Management of Complex Equipment (3rd Edition)
edited by
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 91 | Submission Open
Keywords: complex equipment; state monitoring; health management; modeling techniques; fault diagnosis and prediction; operation and maintenance
Recent Advances in Aeroacoustics (2nd Edition) submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 90 | Submission Open
Keywords: aeroacoustics; airport noise; aircraft noise; engine noise; low-noise operations; rocket noise; flow acoustics; duct/nozzle acoustics; sound sources; rotor/propeller noise; sound attenuation; acoustic liners; active noise reduction; noise shielding and installation effects; noise reduction targets and certification; acoustic-emission design compromises; acoustic fatigue
Artificial Intelligence in the Design of Solid Propellants for Aerospace Applications
edited by Tianshuai Wang
submission deadline 31 Dec 2025 | Viewed by 81 | Submission Open
Keywords: artificial intelligence; aerospace applications; solid propellant; modeling; energetic materials
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
15th EASN International Conference on Innovation in Aviation & Space Towards Sustainability Today and Tomorrow
edited by , and Alonso-Rodrigo Gustavo
submission deadline 30 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 74 | Submission Open
Keywords:   ; aerostructures: materials & structures; aerostructures: manufacturing; from industry 4.0 to industry 5.0; flight physics; hydrogen in aviation; fuels & energy storage; propulsion; hybrid electric flight; avionics; systems & equipment; human factors; aircraft design and optimization; small air transport (SAT) technologies; innovative concepts & scenarios; synergies and technology transfer with other industries; air traffic management & airports; maintenance; repair & overhaul (MRO); unmanned aerial systems & scaled flight testing; space technologies; ecoDESIGN and engineering for sustainability; safety; regulation and standards; European policy actions in the field of aviation & space
New Sights of Intelligent Robust Control in Aerospace
edited by , , Yuxin Liao and
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 710 | Submission Open
Keywords: robust control; intelligent control; learning-based control; aerospace control; unmanned aerial systems
Development of Novel Orbital Debris Protection Systems
edited by Igor Telichev
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 257 | Submission Open
Keywords: micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD); hypervelocity impact testing and modelling; MMOD protection; shields; bumpers
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Advanced AI and Robotic Technologies for Spacecraft Modelling, Optimization, and Decision-Making submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 191 | Submission Open
Keywords: space exploration; space missions; spacecraft planning; artificial intelligence
(This special issue belongs to the Section Astronautics & Space Science)
Aerospace Vehicle Optimization: Design Innovations, Thermal Management, and Practical Applications
edited by Yu Xu
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 97 | Submission Open
Keywords: aerospace vehicle optimization; design methodologies; multidisciplinary optimization; thermal management; liquid cooling; two-phase flow heat transfer; phase change material; hydrogen; heat exchanger
Structural Dynamics and Aeroelasticity
edited by
submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | Viewed by 58 | Submission Open
Keywords: aerospace structures; aeroelasticity; structural dynamics; morphing and adaptive structures
Advanced Aircraft Technology (2nd Edition)
edited by Jun Huang
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2359 | Submission Open
Keywords: multidisciplinary design optimization; green energy aircraft; distributed electric propulsion; new-concept aerodynamic configuration; survivability
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
Instability and Transition of Compressible Flows
edited by , , Guilai Han and Jie Ren
submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 146 | Submission Open
Keywords: boundary layer stability and transition; stability of shock wave/boundary layer interaction; stability of compressible shear layer; stability of compressible interfacial flow; stability of non-ideal flow; stability of rarefied gas; methods for stability and transition; transition modeling
(This special issue belongs to the Section Aeronautics)
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