![amateur radio international space station amateur radio international space station](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0e/72/dc/0e72dc85ed582e2ddc668b3ea0f4af39.jpg)
The first ARISS school contact was made with students at Luther Burbank Elementary School in Illinois on December 21, 2000, with Shepherd at the helm of NA1SS on the ISS, and ARISS operations team mentor Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, guiding the operation on the ground. After Expedition 1 arrived on station, some initial tests with ARISS ham radio ground stations and individual hams confirmed the ham gear was working properly. The FCC issued ham radio call sign NA1SS for ISS operations. The ARISS ham radio gear actually arrived on the station before the Expedition 1 crew, headed by Commander Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL. Planning for ARISS began in 1996 as a cooperative venture among national amateur radio and amateur satellite societies, with support from their respective space agencies.
![amateur radio international space station amateur radio international space station](https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/6203410_4_orig-300x200.jpg)
Over its 20 years, ARISS has supported nearly 1,400 scheduled ham radio contacts with schools, student groups, and other organizations. NASA is commemorating the milestone with a newly produced infographic highlighting the educational contacts via amateur radio between astronaut crew members aboard the ISS and students. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station ( ARISS) will soon celebrate 20 years of continuous ham radio operations on the International Space Station (ISS).