Ham radio operators stand by for contact as SpaceX Fram2 polar mission passes over Australia

Amateur radio operators in Australia will play a small but important part in receiving pictures from the first space flight in polar orbit.

The history-making Fram2 mission, the first crewed space flight aiming to orbit Earth over the north and south poles, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Tuesday.

Among the four atronauts is Australian polar adventurer Eric Philips, making him the fourth Australian in space and the first Space X astronaut.

Amateur, or “ham”, radio operators are now waiting for the Dragon capsule to make the first of several passes over Australia so they can download slow-scan television (SSTV) pictures.

The images will be used in a worldwide competition to encourage the next generation of space and radio enthusiasts.

Read more – ABC Australia: https://bit.ly/4iYBagk