A nonprofit higher education institution pioneering research and experiential learning in space exploration and astronautical sciences.
IIAS offers a thesis-based Master of Science degree in Astronautical Science (30 credits) and multiple postbaccalaureate certificates in bioastronautics, space flight operations, flight test engineering, and space environment. Students also access postbaccalaureate programs in microgravity science, space medicine, space suit evaluation, and operational science through partnerships with the National Research Council of Canada, Florida Tech, Survival Systems USA, NAUI, and the Canadian Space Agency. Education combines distance learning with intensive on-site sessions.
IIAS conducts hands-on training including microgravity flight campaigns, pressure suit operations, mission simulation, high-altitude and hypoxia awareness training, and aerospace physiology in aerobatic flight. The organization has sponsored spaceflight missions aboard Virgin Galactic suborbital flights, with researchers conducting experiments on fluid behavior in microgravity to inform medical technology and life-support system design.
IIAS operates satellite campuses in Groton, Connecticut and Melbourne, Florida in the United States, as well as in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Training facilities include partnerships with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where students receive comprehensive aerospace training.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, IIAS publishes research in aeronomy, bioastronautics, human factors, and educational methods. The organization supports broader initiatives including Out Astronaut and Space for All Nations, advancing diversity and accessibility in space exploration.