Credits: ARISS
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, Nigeria
September 18, 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 National Space Research and Development Agency located in Abuja, Nigeria. 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 National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) is Nigeria’s national space agency, established in 1999 under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.
Its mission is to harness space science and technology for sustainable national development, socioeconomic advancement, and global competitiveness. NASRDA’s efforts in satellite development include remote sensing, geospatial intelligence, and scientific research. The agency has successfully launched and managed several Earth observation satellites, including NigeriaSat-1, NigeriaSat-2, and NigComSat-1R, providing critical data to support agriculture,
environmental management, urban planning, disaster response, and national security. NASRDA also encourages STEM education through exposure to hands-on space-related projects and collaboration such as this ARISS contact. Students participating are ages 10 – 22 years, in elementary/middle/high school grade levels, as well as interns in the agency.
This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Zena Cardman, amateur radio call sign KJ5CMN. 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 Paardekraal, South Africa. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign ZS6JON, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for September 20, 2025 at 10:37 am WAT (Abuja, Nigeria) (9:37:23 UTC, 5:37 am EDT, 4:37 am CDT, 3:37 am MDT, 2:37 am PDT).
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As time allows, students will ask these questions:
- What inspired you to become an astronaut, and how did your journey begin?
- What was your first reaction when you saw Earth from space?
- What do you miss most about life on Earth while you’re in space?
- How do you handle challenges during high-risk space missions?
- Can you share a moment in space that completely changed how you view life?
- What kind of scientific experiments are you currently working on aboard the ISS?
- How do you deal with technical and system problems in space?
- Can you describe what microgravity feels like and how it affects your daily life?
- How is water recycled and reused on the ISS?
- What role does artificial intelligence or robotics play in your daily space operations?
- What advice would you give to young students who dream of becoming astronauts?
- How do astronauts from different countries work together as a team in space?
- Have you ever met or worked with African scientists or engineers during your space career?
- What do you think is the next big milestone for human spaceflight?
- Would you go to the Moon or Mars if given the chance — and what excites you about that?
- What kind of jobs do you think today’s students will have in space in the future?
- What’s the most unexpected or funny thing that has happened to you in space?
- How do you stay connected with your family and loved ones while in space?
- What do astronauts do during their free time aboard the ISS?
- How does microgravity and space radiation affect the genetic makeup of agricultural seeds?
- Were the seeds of the Jaguar Space experiment preserved and packaged in a special way to prepare them for their journey to the ISS?
- I have heard the ISS will soon be decommissioned. What will happen next?
- What is the status of the Moon Artemis Mission and how soon do you think regular Moon Tourism will start?
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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