Geneva Christian College Students Successfully Speak with Astronaut Aboard the International Space Station

Students from Geneva Christian College in Latrobe, Tasmania, have successfully completed an inspiring ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) contact, speaking live with European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN, aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The contact took place on Monday 3 August, with Acquisition of Signal (AOS) occurring precisely on schedule at 7:59 pm AEST. During the approximately 10-minute pass, the students asked 13 of their 16 prepared questions before the spacecraft passed beyond radio range and Loss of Signal (LOS) occurred. Although the audio fluctuated at times, it remained clearly intelligible throughout the contact, allowing the students and audience to enjoy a memorable conversation with one of the world's newest astronauts.

The amateur radio link was made possible through the ARISS Ham Radio Telebridge, with Claudio IK1SLD in northern Italy operating the ground station. The audio was simultaneously distributed via EchoLink, IRLP and numerous linked VoIP networks, allowing amateur radio operators around Australia and beyond to listen live. Thanks to the efforts of several repeater network operators, the contact was relayed across parts of South Sydney, the NSW Far South Coast, Canberra and the Riverina, giving many amateurs their very first opportunity to experience an ARISS school contact.

The event was particularly special because it was a rescheduled contact. An earlier attempt in June was unfortunately affected by technical audio problems. The Wireless Institute of Australia joins Geneva Christian College and ARISS Australia & New Zealand in expressing sincere appreciation to ARISS International and NASA for arranging a replacement opportunity so quickly. Their support ensured the students were still able to experience the excitement of speaking directly with an astronaut orbiting approximately 400 kilometres above the Earth.

For those who missed the live event, or would like to relive the experience, Claudio IK1SLD has made the complete contact available to watch and listen to on his YouTube channel:

Link

7News in Tasmania covered the story and the clip can be found here: Link.

School contacts like this continue to demonstrate the unique educational value of amateur radio, inspiring young people to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics while showing how volunteers around the world work together to make extraordinary experiences possible.

The WIA congratulates everyone involved, including the students, teachers, ARISS volunteers, repeater operators and amateur radio community members whose efforts helped make this event such a resounding success.

Page Last Updated: Thursday, 06 Aug 2026 at 21:09 hours by Justin Giles-clark

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