Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

What Amateur Radio on the International Space Station does

ARISS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that operates amateur radio systems aboard the International Space Station. Founded in 1996 with operational deployment beginning in November 2000, ARISS serves as the primary conduit for student-to-astronaut communication, scheduling roughly ten-minute direct radio contacts between schools and the on-orbit crew. The organization is structured as an international consortium with formal partnerships among NASA, Rosaviakosmos, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the European Space Agency (ESA), alongside national amateur radio coordinating bodies. ARISS-USA, the US operational arm, is headquartered in Kensington, Maryland and operates with a small staff supplemented by a global volunteer network.

The organization's product surface spans flight-certified hardware and on-orbit services. The IORS (Interoperable Radio System) and MVPS (Multi-Voltage Power Supply) are the current generation of ISS-installed amateur radio payloads. Operating services include scheduled school contacts, Slow Scan Television (SSTV) image transmission events, a 24/7 voice repeater, a digital/APRS repeater, and HamTV digital amateur television. Educational products include the SPARKI classroom kit, the ARDC-funded STEREO curriculum, and competition programs such as Fram2Ham. ARISS has supported all four Axiom Space private astronaut missions (Ax-1 through Ax-4) and is preparing operations for the Fram2 polar-orbit mission in 2025, with the AREx initiative extending program scope toward lunar and deep-space scenarios.

ARISS is a non-commercial entity funded through donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. Services are provided free of charge to educational institutions worldwide, and there is no pricing model or transactional revenue stream. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; documented grant inflows include $47,533 from the ARRL Foundation and $4,500 from QCWA, with ARDC funding supporting the STEREO educational program. Customer concentration is distributed across thousands of schools globally with no single revenue anchor, and the free-distribution model imposes no meaningful switching costs on end users.

Name

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

Legal name

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc.

Website

https://ariss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ARISS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates amateur radio systems aboard the International Space Station, enabling free student-to-astronaut contacts and STEM curricula for K-16 schools and licensed amateur radio operators worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Education Communications

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Satellite Telecommunications (51741)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

Keywords

• Amateur radio operations
• Space communications
• STEM education programs
• Satellite radio systems
• Astronaut radio contacts

Headquarters

HQ city

International (Virtual)

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ARISS operates primarily through donations and fundraising efforts. The Annual Fund and ARISS *STAR* program provide ways for individuals and organizations to contribute. Donors giving $100 or more receive an ARISS Challenge Coin.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: ARISS receives funding from organizations such as the ARRL Foundation ($47,533 for the ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project) and the Quarter Century Wireless Association ($4,500 donation). Sponsors include ISS National Lab and NASA SCaN program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

ARISS designs, operates, and manages amateur radio communication systems aboard the International Space Station, enabling approximately 60-100 educational radio contacts per year between students and astronauts/cosmonauts. The organization provides complementary services including SSTV image broadcasts, voice and digital (APRS) repeater access for licensed ham operators worldwide, and educational outreach programs (SPARKI kits, STEREO teacher training, Fram2Ham competitions).

Product overview

ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) operates a suite of educational radio communication products and programs. The core offerings include direct school contacts (live Q&A sessions between students and ISS crew via amateur radio), SSTV image transmission, voice and digital repeaters, APRS packet radio, and HamTV video downlink. Supporting infrastructure includes the InterOperable Radio System (IORS) hardware on ISS and the Multi-Voltage Power Supply (MVPS). Educational programs include the SPARKI hands-on radio kit, STEREO teacher training, and the Fram2Ham competition. AREx consortium supports deep space amateur radio expansion for lunar and Mars missions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPARKI: Space Pioneers Amateur Radio Kit Initiative - a hands-on learning tool enabling educators to teach students about basic electronics, radio waves, frequency, codes and cyphers, and software-defined radio principles.
• STEREO
• AREx
• *STAR*

Products and services

• ARISS School Contacts Live amateur radio question-and-answer sessions between students and astronauts/cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. Each contact lasts approximately 10 minutes and is preceded by 4-6 months of educational preparation for participating schools.
• Slow Scan Television (SSTV) Broadcasts Transmission of themed image series from the ISS using amateur radio. Enthusiasts worldwide can receive the images and submit them to the ARISS SSTV Gallery to receive electronic award certificates. Uses PD120 mode at 145.800 MHz.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million youth connected to ISS through nearly 1,800 ham radio contacts in 25 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and emerging.

• SpaceX (Fram2 Mission)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2025ARISS supported the Fram2 polar-orbiting commercial space mission in April 2025, with astronaut Rabea Rogge using amateur radio to conduct SSTV transmissions and contacts with educational institutions. This was the first amateur radio transmission from a Dragon vehicle.
• Axiom SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2022ARISS has partnered on all four Axiom Space flights to the ISS (Ax-1 in 2022, Ax-2, Ax-3, and Ax-4 in 2025). Axiom provides ARISS access to private astronaut missions for amateur radio educational contacts. Three of four Axiom missions featured all-ham crews who conducted school contacts from the ISS.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA is a founding partner in the ARISS program and provides support for amateur radio operations on ISS. NASA SCaN program provides primary tracking for Orion during Artemis missions, with ARISS volunteers supporting passive tracking. ARISS works with NASA on lunar and Mars mission opportunities.
• AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMSAT is a core partner in ARISS, working on satellite communications and the AREx (Amateur Radio Exploration) initiative for deep space operations. AMSAT and ARISS are teamed under AREx to develop amateur radio systems for moon and Mars exploration. For Artemis 2, ARISS and AMSAT volunteers provide independent tracking data using S-band communications.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA is a founding partner in ARISS and supports HamTV operations in the Columbus module. ESA provides technical support for antenna systems and space station integration. ESA astronauts regularly participate in ARISS school contacts.
• ARRL (American Radio Relay League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARRL is a primary sponsor of ARISS-USA and provides support for amateur radio operations. ARRL Foundation awarded $47,533 for the ARISS *STAR* Keith Pugh Memoriam Project. ARISS participates in ARRL Field Day events.
• ISS National Lab - Space Station ExplorerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ISS National Laboratory funds ARISS operations and Space Station Explorers consortium manages educational programs using the ISS. ARISS is a member of the Space Station Explorers consortium.
• Rosaviakosmos (Russia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRosaviakosmos is a founding partner in ARISS, with Russian cosmonauts regularly operating amateur radio on ISS. ARISS Russia team, led by Sergey Samburov RV3DR, manages SSTV operations and Service Module radio configurations.
• Canadian Space Agency (CSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA is a founding partner in ARISS and hosts international ARISS-I face-to-face meetings. CSA representatives participate in ARISS governance and operations planning.
• Japan Aeronautics Exploration Space Agency (JAXA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJAXA is a founding partner in ARISS. JAXA astronauts participate in ARISS school contacts and the agency supports Japanese ground station operations.
• British Amateur Television ClubsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe British Amateur Television Club supports HamTV ground station operations with Phil Heron MI0VIM and Phil Crump M0DNY having built the distributed earth-station support system for HamTV video downlink.
• VastemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVast is developing the Haven-1 commercial space station with potential launch as soon as 2027. ARISS is in conversations with Vast about making ham radio an asset for crews on commercial space stations.
• Starlab SpaceemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarlab Space is developing a commercial space station. ARISS has identified commercial space stations as a key growth area and is pursuing partnerships with Starlab and others.
• Orbital Reef (Sierra Space)emergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrbital Reef is Sierra Space's commercial space station project. ARISS is in discussions about future ham radio opportunities on commercial space stations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ariss_intl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ARISSlive
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARISSIntl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ariss-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/ariss_intl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station