Samantha Cristoforetti ARISS call from the ISS

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the International Space Station HAM radio preparing for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or ARISS programme call with children from the Il Cielo Itinerante school in Italy.

Most of the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station have an amateur radio license. They use the station’s ham radio to contact amateur radio stations on ground mostly in their free time, and the radio is used to contact pre-selected schools. During the ten minutes that the Space Station is typically above horizon and radio contact is possible, astronauts answer the questions prepared by  students. When a school does not have an own radio station, volunteering amateur satellite operators set up a ground station for their use.

You can follow along with Samantha's mission Minerva via Samantha’s Twitter, Flickr and TikTok accounts, or via our dedicated Minerva page.