The BIS offers and awards a number of medals and awards, and supports the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards. We believe that such prizes offer a way to recognise excellence, highlight innovation, and celebrate the work of exceptional and dedicated individuals. The BIS’s own awards are evaluated through our Fellowship and Awards Committee, before recommendations are made to Council.
Honorary Fellowship is the highest honour awarded by the BIS, made to those who have contributed to the development of astronautics and to support for the BIS. The total number of Honorary Fellows is limited to no more than 10 individuals.
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1949 | Hermann Oberth 1894-1989 |
| 1949 | Eugen Sänger 1905-1964 |
| 1949 | Ing. Guido von Pirquet – 1880-1966 |
| 1949 | M. Robert Esnault-Pelterie 1881-1957 |
| 1949 | Philip E. Cleator 1908-1994 |
| 1949 | Dr. Wernher von Braun 1912-1977 |
| 1962 | Dr. Leslie R. Shepherd 1918-2012 |
| 1962 | Arthur Valentine Cleaver 1917-1977 |
| 1962 | Dr. Hugh L. Dryden 1898-1965 |
| 1967 | Arthur C. Clarke 1917-2008 |
| 1969 | Dr. George E. Mueller 1918-2015 |
| 1969 | Dr. William H. Pickering 1910-2004 |
| 1970 | Dr. Charles Stark Draper 1901-1987 |
| 2016 | Dr. Helen Sharman 1963- |
| 2016 | Major Timothy Peake 1972- |
| 2017 | Prof. Freeman Dyson 1923-2020 |
| 2018 | Alfred M Worden 1932-2020 |
| 2018 | Sir Martin Sweeting 1951- |
| 2018 | Alan Bond 1944- |
| 2019 | David A Hardy 1936- |
| 2019 | Roy Gibson 1924- |
The Gold Medal is awarded for famous achievements in Space. The Gold Medal is awarded to persons who have headed astronautical teams over a period of years, and is to recognise the achievement of the individual and the team of which they led.
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1961 | Major Yuri Gagarin |
| 1961 | Wernher von Braun |
| 1964 | Valentina Tereschkova |
| 1970 | Michael Collins |
| 1970 | Edwin E. Aldrin Jr |
| 1970 | Neil A. Armstrong |
| 1992 | Leonard J. Carter |
Silver Awards commemorate special feats in space exploration or advancement. The physical award would take some form appropriate to the achievement they honoured – generally in the form of a small model or plaque.
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1961 | NASA Mercury Programme |
| 1965 | JPL Ranger 7 |
| 1966 | USSR Academy of Sciences Luna 9 |
| 1968 | USSR Academy of Sciences Venus 4 |
| 1969 | NASA Apollo 8 |
| 1979 | NASA Apollo 11 |
| 1973 | NASA Apollo Programme |
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1962 | K. Bossart: Atlas Rocket Development |
| 1962 | S.F. Singer: Scientific Satellites |
| 1962 | A.G. Haley: Space Law |
| 1970 | G.W. Hoover Earth: Satellite Concepts |
| 1970 | J.P. Stapp: Space Medicine |
| 1970 | H.E. Ross: Pioneering Space Concepts |
| 1970 | E. Stuhlinger: Advanced Propulsion |
| 1972 | A.W. Frutkin: International Space Co-operation |
| 1972 | W.H. Stephens: European Launcher Development |
| 1972 | S. Hoffman: Saturn Rocket Engine Development |
| 1976 | Chesley Bonestell: Astronautical Art |
| 1979 | R. Freitag: Managing Major Space Projects |
| 1991 | Helen Sharman: First Briton in Space |
| 1992 | Roy Gibson: Contributions to Space in Europe |
| 1993 | W.I. McLauchlin: Scientific Space probes |
| 1995 | Arthur C. Clarke: Visionary “invention” of the Communications Satellite |
| 1997 | Patrick Moore: Public Education |
| 1998 | Martin Sweeting: Small Satellites |
| 2005 | Colin Pillinger: Space Science |
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1967 | R.C. Speiser |
| 1967 | G. Sohl |
| 1968 | P. Bono |
| 1970 | G.A. Flandro |
| 1974 | Krafft A. Ehricke |
The Patrick Moore medal was made possible by long-time Fellow of the BIS, Sir Patrick Moore, to recognise outstanding contributions to the Society.
| Date of Award | Name |
| 1995 | Leslie R. Shepherd |
| 1996 | Eric M. Waine |
| 1996 | Leonard J. Carter & Gerald V. Groves |
| 1997 | Lee D. Saegessar |
| 1997 | H.H. Koelle |
| 1998 | Anthony R. Martin & Alan Bond |
| 2001 | Yvonne Cooper |
| 2003 | Neville Kidger |
| 2007 | Peter Mata |
| 2011 | Mark Stewart & Alex Stewart |
| 2013 | Adrian Mann |
| 2014 | Ralph Timerlake |
| 2015 | Andrew Vaudin |
| 2015 | Steve Salmon |
| 2016 | Terry Henley |
| 2016 | Vix Southgate |
| 2020 | Gill Norman |
Introduced in 2009, this BIS silver pin award recognises the achievement of UK-born individuals who have undertaken a spaceflight into full Earth orbit.
| Date of Award | Name |
| 2009 | Dr. Helen Sharman (Soyuz TM-12/TM11, 1991) |
| 2009 | Richard Garriott de Cayeux ( Soyuz TMA-13/TMA-12, 2008) |
| 2010 | Dr. Piers Sellers (STS-112, 2002) (STS-121,2006) (STS-132, 2010) |
| 2011 | Dr. Nicholas Patrick (STS-116,2006) (STS-130, 2010) |
| 2017 | Dr. Michael Foale (STS-45, 1992) (STS-56, 1993)(STS-63, 1995) (STS-84/ Mir24/STS-86, 1997) (STS-103, 1999) (TMA-3/ISS Expedition 8, 2003) |
| 2016 | Major Tim Peake (ISS Expedition 46/47) |
The BIS NextGen Rising Star Awards were founded in 2021, in the first year of the NextGen Network. In their first year, they celebrated Women in Space, in line with the World Space Week theme of that year. They were celebrated with a reception at BIS HQ, and alongside certificates the winners were also given Silver Comet Brooches.
The BIS Silver Comet Brooch was designed for Shirley Jones, Executive Secretary, as a gift from a Fellow. A BIS Silver Comet Brooch was also presented to Helen Sharman for her outstanding support for the Society, and another to Vix Southgate, as an acknowledgement of her volunteer work for the Society and managing WSWUK. It was later replicated by the original jeweller and made available for sale by the Society during the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2021, The BIS Rising Star Awards were born and the final five of these pins were presented to 5 outstanding young women in the space sector.
Vix Southgate and Alan Bond developed this initiative as part of the World Space Week 2021’s ‘Women in Space’ theme and the BIS NextGen Network developed the criteria and ran the nominations and judging.
|
Date of Award |
Name |
|
2021 |
Rosie Cane |
|
Sara Motaghian |
|
|
Megan Maunder |
|
|
Kristina Tamane |
|
|
Dr Heidi Thiemann |