Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

ARISS is an international working group that supplies turn-key global engagement and mission safety capabilities to space stations and space vehicles using amateur radio, also known as ham radio. Our specialty is connecting kids with astronauts in space over these radio links, sparking an interest in STEM/STEAM fields.

With ARISS onboard, a space vehicle carries with it a global engagement tool that is also a proven, independent, platform-agnostic backup communications link and crew morale booster.

ARISS is global: We are governed by delegates from 15 nations including several in Europe as well as Japan, Russia, Canada, and the USA. We operate almost entirely by volunteers from the national amateur radio organizations including the American Radio Relay League and AMSAT.