ARISS and AMSAT are supporting a FundRazr campaign to raise $150,000 for critical ham radio infrastructure upgrades on the International Space Station (ISS).

“ARISS is in critical need of infrastructure upgrades to ensure that programs such as talking to astronauts in space using Amateur Radio can continue,” ARISS International President Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said. ARISS seeks several upgrades, including new Amateur Radio communication and experiment capabilities, such as an enhanced voice repeater, updated digital Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), and slow-scan television (SSTV) with image uplinks and downlinks in both US and Russian segments; next-generation radio systems that will support easier mode and capability transitions, and a multi-voltage power supply to support present and future radio capabilities.

Bauer points out that ARISS needs to build 10 next-generation radio systems to support the development of on-orbit operations, training, and long-term maintenance. This includes two units for on-orbit use (one unit each for the US and Russian segments), two flight spares, three units for training, one unit for testing, and two units for ground-based maintenance and troubleshooting. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service via Frank Bauer, KA3HDO