Author: Debbie Lebair

August 4, 2026—ARISS-USA is pleased to announce that Jackie Blumer, KC9LEH, has been appointed Associate Director of ARISS-USA (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station). Jackie is a nationally recognized science educator with an emphasis on space education.

In her work as an educator, she has often incorporated amateur radio into her curriculum as a teaching tool. In addition to her many responsibilities at ARISS-USA, Jackie has recently served as Business Development Coordinator and Logistics Manager for ARISS-USA.

In her new position as Associate Director, her focus will be on developing relations with other space-related organizations. She will also be seeking educational opportunities to collaborate on projects in conjunction with the commercial space industry. 

Please join us in congratulating Jackie Blumer, KC9LEH, on her appointment and wishing her continued success in her new role with ARISS-USA.

Submit your proposal for a free STEM ham radio contact with the International Space Station crew in 2027! Proposal window opened Juy 1 and closes on September 30 for contacts to be held from January to June 2027. Visit https://ariss-usa.org/proposal-overview/ to get your school started.

July 28, 2026: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the US schools/host organizations newly selected for ARISS contacts in 2026 and 2027.  A total of 13 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

ARISS USA is announcing selections for ham radio contacts with the ISS crew during the 

Fall 2026 through June, 2027. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal.  These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The school and host organizations are:

Covington High School, Covington, TN

ICO West Michigan Aviation Academy, Grand Rapids, MI

Woodruff Middle School, Seabrook, NJ

North Augusta High School, North Augusta, SC

Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada, Sparks, NV

Watson B Duncan Middle School, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Sarasota Military Academy HS, Sarasota, FL

Lead-Deadwood High School, Lead, SD

Robert Crippen Elementary School, Porter, TX

Challenger Learning Center National Conference, Framingham, MA

EcoTarium, Worcester, MA

Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital, Charlotte, NC

Paul Duke STEM High School, Norcross, GA

ARISS News Release No. 26-15 Message to US Educators Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity Call for Proposals

March 31, 2026 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between January 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.

This proposal is due to ARISS by May 22nd, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An informational webinar will be held at 8pm ET on April 30th. Here is the zoom link for that webinar https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3yid9dxzRkmYfVroIP0nWA .

The Opportunity

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.

An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling

activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.

Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.

Please direct any questions to education@ariss-usa.org .

Figure.7.Artemis.8.on.the.launch.pad…Credit¿.NASA―John.Kraus

March 27, 2026—When the Artemis 2 mission with four astronauts departs for deep space
sometime in April, a team of ARISS and AMSAT volunteers will be “watching” from afar.
Specifically, our experts will use a multinational network of ground station receivers to
capture the Orion capsule’s one-way S-band communications with mission control as a
secondary means of tracking the spacecraft.
While NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program will primarily
depend on the Near Space and Deep Space Network for primary tracking of the Orion
during its 10-day mission around the moon and back, it has also selected 34 individuals
and groups (including an ARISS and AMSAT consortium) across 14 countries to provide an
independent source of tracking data using the radio waves generated by normal
communications.
The concept works. For Artemis 1, an unmanned launch into low-Earth orbit in 2022, 10
individuals successfully tracked Orion throughout its mission. Based on lessons learned
from that experience, SCaN now has data standards that Artemis 2 passive trackers will
use when sending the data to NASA.

March 4, 2026—With 25 years of experience connecting astronauts and cosmonauts to tens of thousands of kids and adults around the world via amateur radio, ARISS is plotting a course to continue our mission in the government and commercial space realm beyond the targeted decommissioning of the ISS in the 2030 timeframe. 
​
As you know, we’ve already been active in conducting ham radio operations in commercial space ventures including all four Axiom Space flights to the ISS and the Fram2 free-flying mission, and that’s a big hint on where we’ll be focused in the post-ISS era. We’ve identified commercial space stations as a key growth area for ARISS and we’re in conversations with anyone and everyone in this emerging sector about making ham radio an asset for crews.

Artist renderings of Starlab, Axiom Space, Orbital Reef and Vast commercial space stations

Based on publicly available information, there are at least four companies developing or interested in developing commercial space stations: Vast, Axiom Space, Starlab Space and Sierra Space’s Orbital Reef. Vast has stated that it could have its four-person, single-module Haven-1 space station for low-Earth orbit as soon as 2027.  

Our offering to commercial space station providers is a proven track record on what ARISS and ham radio bring to the table:

• Space-based amateur radio learning experiences
• A tried-and-true backup method for crew radio communications using proven, spaceflight-certified ARISS hardware
• A psychological support and public engagement outlet for astronauts
• Proven outreach practices: On ISS, ARISS engages more than 40,000 youth and more than 150,000 members of the public each year through 60-100 scheduled radio contacts per year
• A variety of operational radio modes including voice repeater and digital repeater mode for text messaging and educational ground-to-ground station robot commanding, or to activate an image transmission event (Slow Scan Television, or SSTV)
• Flight certified radio antenna systems and feedlines

​In addition to our pursuit of commercial ventures, we’re also continuing with full support of ongoing ISS radio contacts and working with NASA to make ARISS a fixture on moon and Mars missions. That includes our partnership with AMSAT to passively track the upcoming Artemis 2 mission around the moon and back.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from ARISS on pursuing future partnerships with the commercial space industry and many other growth areas.

For the latest updates on school contacts and other exciting ARISS news, please follow our ARISS Facebook, X, Instagram, BlueSky, Mastodon, LinkedIn,  YouTube and Discord social media channels.

New Proposal Window is January 12th, 2026 – February 27th, 2026

January 12, 2025 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.

The deadline to submit a proposal is February 27, 2026.  Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An informational webinar session will be held on February 5, 2026at 8 PM ET.  The Zoom link to sign up is: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hijg24mPRK69uGC0gUq8zw

The Opportunity

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.

An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.

Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.

Please direct any questions to education@ariss-usa.org .

January 9, 2026: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the US schools/host organizations newly selected for 2026 ARISS contacts. A total of 2 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 2 US host organizations during the July – December 2026 period. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The school and host organization are:

YOTA Summer Camp in Huntsville, AL seeking a contact date between June 14 – 19, 2026.

University Heights School of Medical Arts in Jonesboro, AR seeking a contact date between July and December 2026.

December 25, 2025—Along with our Santa’s helper hams on the International Space Station, we’re wishing all ARISS volunteers, supporters and sponsors a very merry Holiday Season and an Adventurous New Year!

As we celebrate 25 years of continuous operations on the ISS, I can say with confidence that the best is yet to come. Over the next year, we’ll pay homage to a quarter century of stellar history by honoring our founders and legends, celebrating our many successes and charging headlong into the future of amateur radio in the cosmos.

Until then, here’s to a (hopefully) quiet and tranquil end of your 2025 and an apogee kick start to your 2026. Catch you in the New Year!

Ad Astra

Frank Bauer
ARISS International Chair
ARISS-USA Executive Director

​For the latest updates on school contacts and other exciting ARISS news, please check out and follow our ARISS Facebook, X, Instagram, BlueSky, Mastodon, LinkedIn, YouTube and Discord social media channels.