Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded a very generous grant to ARISS for the Next Generation radio system. ARDC is the owner and manager of the Internet network known as the AMPRNet. In June of 2019, ARDC initiated a philanthropic endeavor to provide monetary grants to organizations, groups, projects, and scholarships which have significant potential to advance the state of the art of Amateur Radio, and digital communications in general.
The ARISS Next Generation radio system (or Inter Operable Radio System – IORS) will support easier radio mode transition, to enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public including:
- New amateur radio communication and experimentation capabilities, including an enhanced voice repeater and updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities.
- Slow Scan TV (picture up and downlinks) in both the US and Russian segments of ISS.
- New multi-voltage power supply will support present and future radio capabilities and allow wireless experiments to be conducted.
In July, the Inter Operable Radio System successfully completed a battery of stressful tests required as part of the final certification of the hardware for launch to and operation on the International Space Station. Final assembly of the flight safety certification in preparation for launch is now underway and ARISS is working towards launch ready status by the end of the year.
For more information on the award please see: https://www.ampr.org/g2019-09-01a/
To contribute to ARISS and the IORS please see: https://www.ariss.org/donate.html
ARISS and AMSAT thank ARDC for their generosity in supporting this important project.
[ANS thanks ARISS, the AMSAT office, and ARDC for the above information.]
