Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets is published by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc. (AIAA) and is in Zone 4 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Spacecraft Design and Technology, Rocket and propulsion systems research and Space Satellite Systems and Control, together about 33% of its articles. Its main subfields are Aerospace Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)

This journal is devoted to reporting advancements in the science and technology associated with spacecraft and tactical and strategic missile systems, including subsystems, applications, missions, environmental interactions, and space sciences. The journal publishes original archival papers disclosing significant developments in spacecraft and missile configurations, reentry devices, transatmospheric vehicles, systems and subsystem design and application, mission design and analysis, applied computational fluid dynamics, applied aerothermodynamics, development of materials and structures for spacecraft and missile applications, space instrumentation, developments in space sciences, space processing and manufacturing, space operations, interactions with spacecraft and sensors, design of sensors and experiments for space, and applications of space technologies to other fields. The context of the journal also includes ground-support systems, manufacturing, integration and testing, launch control, recovery and repair, space communications, scientific data processing, and human and environmental factors in spacecraft and mission design. Papers also are sought which describe the effects of propulsion, guidance and control, thermal management, and structural systems on spacecraft and missile design and performance.

From the journal's Aims & Scope

Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Aerospace

Editor-in-chief Olivier de WeckPublisher website

CAS Journal Ranking

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.

Impact

Impact factor

1.98LetPub · 2026-09-13

CiteScore 2026-06

4.4LetPub · 2026-09-13

SJR 2026-06

0.81LetPub · 2026-09-13

SNIP 2026-06

1.19LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

68LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

118OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

i10-index

3,965OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

2-year mean citedness

2.47OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

Self-citation rate

15%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Share of gold OA articles

0.42%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Volume

Articles per year

150LetPub · 2026-09-13

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.

Other sources

Average review time (community reports)

4–8 weeksLetPub · 2026-09-13

Average acceptance (community reports)

EasyLetPub · 2026-09-13

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.

No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.

The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.

Publisher

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc. (AIAA)

Country or region

UNITED STATES

Language

English

Frequency

Bimonthly

Founded

1964

ISSN

0022-4650

Electronic ISSN

1533-6794

Latest issue on the website

Volume 63 (August 2026)

Official links

• Journal homepage ↗LetPub
• Submission system ↗Publisher website
• Special issues ↗Publisher website