Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on a 14-day scientific expedition, will interact with Indian school students and ISRO engineers via ham radio this Friday. The event is being organised by the Amateur Radio on International Space Station (ARISS), which enables direct communication between astronauts and students around the globe.
The interaction will be conducted through a telebridge set up at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru. According to ARISS, the contact is scheduled for Friday, July 4, at 10:17 UTC (3:47 PM IST), using the K6DUE telebridge relay station. The announcement was also shared by ARISS on social media platform X, highlighting the significance of the upcoming communication with Indian participants.
Ham radio, or amateur radio, is widely regarded for its reliability in emergency communication and educational outreach. Licensed operators use it to facilitate scientific and cultural exchanges, especially in settings where traditional communication systems may fail.
Shukla, who is part of the four-member Axiom-4 crew, has been actively involved in several scientific experiments aboard the ISS. On Sunday, he conducted a space microalgae experiment, deploying sample bags and capturing images of various algae strains. The experiment is aimed at exploring microalgae as a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source for future long-duration space missions.
The Axiom-4 team is also engaged in the Neuro Motion VR project, which studies the impact of microgravity on cognitive and motor functions. Astronauts perform VR-based tasks while their brain activity is monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), offering insights into human adaptation during deep-space travel.
In addition, Shukla and the crew are contributing to the Telemetric Health AI study, which combines biometric data and mission analytics to assess cardiovascular and balance systems under spaceflight conditions. The research holds promise for developing advanced, real-time health monitoring systems useful both in space and on Earth.
The upcoming radio contact is expected to inspire students across India to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), while offering a rare opportunity to engage directly with a fellow Indian astronaut currently orbiting Earth.
