ARISS Contact with Rockingham Scout Group

On Saturday, the 29th of August, Rockingham Scout Group, Rockingham, Western Australia, will have an arranged contact with and astronaut on board the International Space Station.

The contact is scheduled for 8:56:33 UTC, 4:56:33 PM AWST and 6:56:33 PM AEST with NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, KJ5NIV, who is currently living and working aboard the ISS.

The amateur radio ground station for the contact will be operated by Jon, ZS6JON, Paardekrall, South Africa, using the ARISS Ham Radio Telebridge system. This worldwide network of volunteer amateur radio stations allows schools to communicate with astronauts even when the International Space Station is not passing directly overhead. It is a wonderful demonstration of international cooperation and the unique capabilities of amateur radio.

Radio amateurs and members of the public can listen to the contact live from anywhere in the world via EchoLink HAM Node 69556, IRLP Node 9556, and a range of other linked Voice over IP networks. Full listening details and supported talk groups are available on the anzel.radio website: Link

To help everyone prepare, Stephen VK4SJV has once again created an excellent live countdown dashboard, providing real-time information leading up to the contact Link

Most ARISS school contacts last around 10 minutes, after which John VK3HJQ will conduct the traditional callback session, collecting reception reports that are forwarded to NASA as part of the official event documentation.

A new ARISS Australia & New Zealand YouTube channel has been created in order to further extend the listening of these live contacts to the general public. The YouTube channel can be accessed here: Link
Simply navigate to the LIVE section for access to the contact on Saturday. Eight minutes prior to the contact, ARISS organisers conduct an introduction and some testing which will also be streamed live and you are invited to listen in. Please ensure that you have your screen size set to full and the highest definition for best results. Please feel to share this link with family, friends, schools, Scout groups, learning institutions etc and let everyone listen to one of these exciting contacts. Please send your feedback to vk2nwt@gmail.com

The Wireless Institute of Australia encourages all amateurs across Australia to listen in and support this exciting event. ARISS school contacts continue to inspire young people to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics while showcasing amateur radio as a practical tool for education and international friendship.

Schools interested in hosting their own ARISS contact can find information, eligibility requirements and application details on the WIA ARISS webpage - Link

Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 Aug 2026 at 21:47 hours by Justin Giles-clark

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