Artemis 2 on the launch pad (Credit: NASA/John Kraus)

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 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 uncrewed 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.

Another lesson SCaN learned from Artemis 1 was that there is a lot of interest in passive tracking. SCaN in August 2025 issued an official request for information (RFI) to government agencies, companies, amateur radio organizations and enthusiasts to participate in Artemis 2 tracking. According to NASA, those chosen through the RFI will use 47 ground assets in 14 countries to help the agency “better assess the broader aerospace community’s tracking capabilities and identify ways to augment future Moon and Mars mission support.”

ARISS and AMSAT are teamed up under the auspices of the AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration) Ground Station Consortium. AREx is a joint ARISS and AMSAT international effort to develop and operate amateur radio systems for deep space, starting at the moon and later to Mars. The team will provide one-way doppler tracking of the S-band signals from space, recording the data and delivering it to SCaN in the proper format.

The AREx worldwide consortium includes teams in the United States (University of Southern California, and Dayton, Ohio); the UK (Goonhilly); Germany, and Poland. Other AREx team members who supported the Artemis I initiative are also participating separately. ARISS operations team member Daryl Young is serving as the Project Manager for the Artemis 2 tracking project.