Journal profile · Engineering, Aerospace
Acta Astronautica
ISSN 0094-5765 · eISSN 1879-2030 · Elsevier Ltd · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1974
Acta Astronautica: CAS Zone 2 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.7; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,350; review about 112 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 830 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Astronautica is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Astro and Planetary Science, Space Satellite Systems and Control and Planetary Science and Exploration, together about 33.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Sponsored by the International Academy of Astronautics Acta Astronautica, the official journal of the International Academy of Astronautics, considers submissions of original contributions in all fields of basic engineering, life, and social space sciences and of space technology related to:The peaceful scientific exploration of space,Its exploitation for human welfare and progress,Conception, design, development and operation of space-borne and Earth-based systems,In addition to regular issues, the journal publishes select special issues on topics of current interest, such as: microgravity, space station technology, geostationary orbits, and space economics. Other subject areas include satellite technology, space transportation and communications, space energy, power and propulsion, astrodynamics, extraterrestrial intelligence and Earth observations.For more information on the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), visit their home page: https://iaaspace.org/. Members of the IAA are eligible for a discount on a personal subscription to Acta Astronautica. Please click here to download an order form.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Aerospace
Editor-in-chief Zheng HongPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 15%); most named United States 13, Mainland China 10, Canada 9, Italy 6, France 5 (67 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy12%
- Space Satellite Systems and ControlEngineering11.7%
- Planetary Science and ExplorationPhysics and Astronomy9.7%
- Spacecraft Dynamics and ControlEngineering8.5%
- Spacecraft Design and TechnologyEngineering7.2%
- Spaceflight effects on biologyMedicine4.8%
- Rocket and propulsion systems researchEngineering4.6%
- Space exploration and regulationPhysics and Astronomy4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Aerospace | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Aerospace | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Aerospace | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.7LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 132OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,656OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.03OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 21.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.12%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 789LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 15,297 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 593 | 217 | 263 |
| 2025 | 830 | 303 | 2,658 |
| 2024 | 707 | 300 | 5,659 |
| 2023 | 593 | 264 | 7,096 |
| 2022 | 620 | 201 | 9,779 |
| 2021 | 585 | 167 | 11,765 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
112 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 9 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 9 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 52 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 112 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,350 / EUR 3,130 / GBP 2,680 / JPY 415,500 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,750 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteArticle types accepted3
- notesOriginal research papers and Notes (see section below).Length not stated
- original research paperOriginal research papers and Notes (see section below).Length not stated
- original research papersOriginal research papers and Notes (see section below).Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Generative AI use must be declared upon submission Model summary
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Author contributions
For transparency, we require corresponding authors to provide co-author contributions to the manuscript using the relevant CRediT roles. The CRediT taxonomy includes 14 different roles describing each contributor's specific contribution to the scholarly output. The roles are: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration;…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interest
Competing interests must be disclosed by all authors Model summary
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors should complete the declaration of compe…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data availability statement encouraged Model summary
To foster transparency, we encourage you to state the availability of your data in your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Copyright: Journal Publishing Agreement upon acceptance Model summary
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles includ…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Peer review type: single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal operates a single anonymized review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor'…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Originality checked via Crossref Similarity Check Model summary
To verify compliance, your article may be checked by Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0094-5765
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-2030
- Society / sponsor
- International Academy of Astronautics
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Astronautica
What CAS zone is Acta Astronautica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Astronautica is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Engineering, Aerospace. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Acta Astronautica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.7; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 132.
How long does peer review take at Acta Astronautica?
The publisher reports about 112 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 9 months. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Astronautica based?
Of the 67 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), Mainland China (10) and Canada (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Astronautica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Astronautica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Acta Astronautica open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Astronautica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,350.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .