After two years of work by amateur radio operators from Kayl and students at Lycée Vauban, 20 pupils were able to make live radio contact on Thursday with French astronaut Sophie Adenot aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Adenot has been on the ISS since mid-February and had agreed early on to take part in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) educational programme.
At precisely 4.47pm on Thursday, the moment finally arrived. Twenty selected students held their breath as a member of Luxembourg’s amateur radio community attempted to establish contact with the space station.
According to Arsène Klopp, president of Kayldall Radio Amateurs Association (ADRAD), the connection exceeded expectations. He said that, while ten minutes had originally been planned, the team managed to secure twelve minutes of communication, during which 19 out of 20 prepared questions were asked.
The signal quality, he added, was excellent, described in amateur radio terms as “R5".
The technical requirements and preparations were considerable, as radio contact with the ISS is only possible during short time windows. The station orbits the Earth 16 times a day at an altitude of around 430 kilometres, travelling at roughly 28,000 kilometres per hour.
The experience proved fascinating, particularly for the 20 students involved, many of whom are training as amateur radio operators.
According to Lycée Vauban executive director Yves Barthels, the project was developed within the school’s makerspace under the guidance of Jérôme Metzler. Barthels added that there was strong student engagement, especially among girls. He also said that one should not underestimate women in science.
The ARISS project, supported by NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and amateur radio communities, aims to inspire young people to pursue interests in science and technology. For Lycée Vauban, the initiative appears to have achieved that goal.
Student Marthe Simpson explained that the project had been in preparation since the start of the year, with support from Luxembourg’s amateur radio club, which helped install the antennas and provided extensive training on how to formulate questions.
Her classmate Léonore Gilbert described the experience as inspiring, saying it made people dream and could spark an interest in becoming an astronaut. While acknowledging that it is a rare and highly specialised profession, she said hearing directly from Sophie Adenot was particularly impressive and motivating.
Adenot is expected to remain on the ISS until October. For her as well, the contact with Luxembourg was a special moment, and she expressed hope that the exchange would leave a lasting impact on the students involved.
