New executive certificate program prepares aerospace, defense, commercial space, and policy leaders for the next era of the global space economy
AIAA and Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University (Thunderbird) announced the launch of the Global Space Leadership and Strategy Series, a new executive-level online program designed to prepare leaders for the increasingly complex, global, and high-stakes space economy.
The program brings together AIAA’s deep connection to the aerospace and astronautics community with the global leadership and executive education expertise of Thunderbird. The series is designed for professionals working across aerospace, defense, commercial space, government, policy, engineering management, business development, investment, emerging technology, and international partnerships.
The Global Space Leadership and Strategy Series is structured as three 15-hour online courses beginning 18 September 2026. Participants may enroll in individual courses or complete the full series to earn the AIAA/Thunderbird Executive Certificate of Specialization in Global Space Leadership.
The launch aligns with the broader conversations taking place across the space community at ASCEND, where leaders from industry, government, academia, and emerging space sectors are focused on the future of space innovation, collaboration, and strategy. As the space sector expands across commercial, civil, defense, and international domains, leaders must be prepared to make decisions across technology, policy, business, law, and global collaboration.
The series includes three integrated courses:
Global and Agile Space Leadership prepares participants to lead in complex, multinational, and mission-critical environments. The course focuses on systems thinking, agile decision-making, crisis leadership, and cross-cultural team management.
Global Space Business, Diplomacy, and Law examines the forces shaping the modern space economy, including public-private partnerships, financing models, regulatory frameworks, space diplomacy, export controls, licensing requirements, orbital sustainability, and emerging legal debates.
Transformative Space Technologies explores the technologies redefining space missions and infrastructure, including digital engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, quantum systems, cybersecurity, cloud architectures, and multi-orbit interoperability.
The program is especially relevant for current and emerging leaders who must navigate uncertainty, align diverse stakeholders, and make strategic decisions in high-consequence environments. As commercial, civil, and national security space activities continue to expand, leaders will need to integrate technical understanding with business strategy, global perspective, policy awareness, and collaborative leadership.
Participants who complete the full series will receive the AIAA/Thunderbird Executive Certificate of Specialization in Global Space Leadership. Registration is now open through AIAA.
