Credits: ARISS
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at
Ethiopian Space Science Society, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
September 2, 2025—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Ethiopian Space Science Society located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
The Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) was established in 2004 by 47 founding members with a mission to promote space science awareness, develop skilled professionals, and enhance research capabilities in astronomy, astrophysics, space science, and related fields. As a non-profit organization, ESSS brings together over 15,000 individual members, 30 branch associations, more than 58 institutional members, and over 100 Space School Clubs, with the goal of advancing space science in Ethiopia.
The ESSS focuses on fostering the growth of competent professionals through targeted training programs, capacity-building initiatives, and hands-on activities such as workshops and stargazing events. ESSS is dedicated to increasing public knowledge and enthusiasm for space science by organizing expert-led lectures, promoting space science tourism, and engaging diverse communities nationwide. ESSS also actively involves students and the public in citizen science projects, empowering them to contribute to real scientific research and discovery.
Moreover, ESSS actively builds partnerships between public and private sectors to strengthen collaboration and achieve shared goals in space science advancement. By investing in human capital and supporting the establishment of research institutions, ESSS nurtures talent and drives innovation within the field. Overall, the ESSS serves as a dynamic platform for education, research, and community engagement, with the hope of inspiring a culture of curiosity and exploration that empowers future generations in Ethiopia.
This will be a telebridge contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Kimiya Yui, amateur radio call sign KG5BPH. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.
The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Glenden, Australia. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the call sign VK4KHZ, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for September 4, 2025 at 11:23 am EAT (Ethiopia) (8:23 UTC, 4:23 am EDT, 3:23 am CDT, 2:23 am MDT, 1:23 am PDT).
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As time allows, students will ask these questions:
- What is the most important thing you want people to know about the ISS?
- What does it take to be an astronaut?
- Which time zone do you use to keep track of time on the ISS?
- How long does it take to adjust to living in microgravity, and how hard is it to re-adapt when you return to Earth?
- Has being in space changed the way you think about your sense of purpose in life? If so, how?
- How is it like working with international crew mates and do you have fun moments?
- How often do astronauts go outside the Station, and what is the best part about it?
- what are the biggest challenges of long-term space missions?
- How much time each day do you spend doing scientific research on the ISS?
- What is your current research about? Would you share the most memorable moment you ever encountered during your time in space?
- How has seeing Earth from space changed your perspective on humanity and our place in the universe?
- What was the most surreal or unexpected experience that completely took you by surprise, something you couldn’t have fully prepared for even with all your training?
- Has there ever been a time when a system or experiment on the ISS behaved completely differently than expected because of the space environment and how did your team adapt and deal with it?
- How does science research on space station benefit humans on Earth?
- Have any experiments conducted on the ISS led to new discoveries or technologies that benefit life on Earth?
- How many flight hours are required to become an astronaut, and do only military flight hours count, or do commercial pilot hours also qualify?
- How do you think AI can help us do science and further exploration in space?
- What subjects did you study and skills you learned as you pursued your career to be an astronaut?
- What kind of internships and education programs would you recommend participating in to prepare for flying and doing science in space?
- What are you most excited about for the future of human space exploration?
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
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