Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), in collaboration with ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio®, plans to carry out a special slow-scan TV (SSTV) experiment from the ISS on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. During the event, the Columbus Module Repeater, transmitting at 437.800 MHz, will carry a message to be received by teachers attending the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology professional development class. The pass will be over the Mid-Atlantic and New England area, with transmissions scheduled to begin at 20:05 UTC (16:05 ET) and end at 20:20 UTC (16:20 ET). If necessary, a backup window is scheduled from 21:40 UTC (17:40 ET) to 21:55 UTC (17:55 ET). 

Radio enthusiasts are welcome to download the message and follow along with the event, but it is asked that all hams refrain from using the repeater for voice contacts during the event. This is a special experiment conducted through ARISS and ARRL. Regular operations of the repeater should continue to take place in voice mode only.

The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics (STEM/STEAM). ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. NASA has scheduled the next ARISS contact for scouts at Camp William B. Snyder in Prince William County, VA. The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for Friday, July 21, 2023 at 1754 UTC (13:54 EDT). Scouts will ask their questions of Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, amateur radio call sign KI5VTV, who will use the ARISS radio station on the ISS to talk. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners within the ISS footprint.

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is a donor-funded professional development program designed to help classroom teachers elevate their STEM programs through the use of wireless technology. As a part of the ARRL Education & Technology Program, several sessions are conducted each year, and the program continues to grow.

ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN), the ISS National Laboratory — Space Station Explorers, ARRL, and AMSAT.