Act today. There are only a couple of weeks left to submit your group’s application to talk with a crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2027

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Space—the final frontier for mankind and ham-kind alike.

While OnAllBands has been talking a lot lately about making QSOs with rare DXCC entities (Bouvet Island, Desecheo Island, et. al.), there’s no doubt that contacting the International Space Station ranks pretty high on the list of cool things you can do with ham radio. And if you want to make this happen in 2027, there’s still time for your organization to apply to host an amateur radio contact with a crewmember on board the ISS. 

Estimated to begin around January 1 and run until June 30, 2027, crewmembers on the ISS will take part in 10-minute-long (give or take) voice-only communications with students. The Q&A will give insight about what it is like to work and live in space. Other topics that can be discussed include research being conducted on the station, satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Of course, available spots depend on crew scheduling and the ISS’s orbit.

These ISS amateur radio events are hosted by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). The deadline to submit a proposal is May 22, 2026, 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

To maximize these radio contacts, the ARISS program looks for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the radio contact into a well-developed education plan. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in contact dates and times, according to the official ARISS proposal page. You can find out more on how to apply here.

Amateur radio and space travel go together like french fries and a Wendy’s Frosty. It’s confusing at first, but when they merge, you’ll be wanting to come back for seconds. In fact, there were three hams on NASA’s Artemis II mission—a test flight that laid the foundation for the organization’s return to the moon. Those hams are Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT; Victor Glover, KI5BKC; and Jeremy Hansen, KF5LKU. Artemis II crewmember Christina Koch is not a licensed operator.

Sadly, there was no ham radio equipment on board, according to ARISS.

The goal of this mission was to test the Orion spacecraft’s life-support, navigation, and communication systems with astronauts on board. It was the first crewed lunar flyby in about 50 years. It began on April 1, when the Orion launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts orbited around the moon and eventually returned home on April 11.

The last time we went to the moon was in 1972, when astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent three days exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley. Cernan was the last human to set foot on the moon. Subsequent missions to the moon solely featured unmanned probes.

Here’s a fun fact: Besides the benefits of having an ocean nearby to catch spacecraft debris, NASA uses its base in Florida as a launch point for space missions because of its proximity to the equator. That’s because the Earth’s eastward rotation spins faster the closer you get to that line, which offers a speed boost plus fuel savings. The closer you are, the more benefits you get.

From all of us at OnAllBands, best of luck in your pursuit of helping youngsters contact the ISS, providing a memory that will undoubtedly inspire them to explore beyond our world. Let us know if your organization gets one of the coveted spots; we’d love to hear about it and write about your experience!

Read this OnAllBands article by Katie, KE8LQR, about her YOTA group’s experience contacting NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI, on the ISS.

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