[SFDXA] ARLS001 Hams Needed to Track NASA Moon Mission

[Bill]

ARLS001 Hams Needed to Track NASA Moon Mission


	

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001

ARLS001 Hams Needed to Track NASA Moon Mission

ZCZC AS01

QST de W1AW

Space Bulletin 001 ARLS001

 From ARRL Headquarters

Newington, CT September 29, 2025

To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS001

ARLS001 Hams Needed to Track NASA Moon Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking 
volunteers to passively track the 2026 Artemis II Orion spacecraft as 
the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.

The story on the 2026 Artemis II Orion project can be found online at 
www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii 
<https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDQ3OTk4JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQ3MzY2NCZsaT0zOTg4ODkzNg/index.html>.

The Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, 
KF5LKT; Victor Glover, KI5BKC; and Christina Koch, along with Canadian 
Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, KF5LKU, on an approximately 
10-day mission around the Moon.

Targeted for no later than April 2026, the mission will rely on NASA's 
Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and 
tracking support throughout its launch, orbit, and reentry. However, 
with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further 
understand industry's tracking capabilities.

This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released 
by NASA's Space Communication and Navigation Program (SCaN) during the 
Artemis I mission in 2022. Ten volunteers successfully tracked the 
uncrewed Orion spacecraft on its journey thousands of miles beyond the 
Moon and back.

One of those volunteers tracking in 2022 was Scott Chapman, K4KDR, of 
Montpelier, Virginia. "Sometimes it's what you don't know that makes 
this kind activity interesting," said Chapman. "All I had was a small 
S-band dish and receiver, and wasn't sure what I could or couldn't 
hear...but when I started hearing the signals...it made everything worth 
it."

Chapman said he felt good about the whole process and, while it was 
interesting, it was also a lot of fun!

There were also other participants during the Artemis I mission, 
including international space agencies, academic institutions, 
commercial companies, nonprofits, and private citizens who were also 
attempting to receive Orion's signals. Chapman added that NASA is also 
looking for commercial partnerships to share in the process.

If you're interested in volunteering for next year's event, all of the 
information can be found at SAM.gov 
<https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDQ3OTk4JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQ3MzY2NCZsaT0zOTg4ODkzNw/index.html>. 
The response deadline is October 27, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT.

NNNN

/EX

	


	

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®

Unsubscribe 
<https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDQ3OTk4JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQ3MzY2NCZsaT0zOTg4ODkzOA/index.html>

	

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/sfdxa/attachments/20250930/0ef38713/attachment-0001.html>