Significant Ham Radio Presence Planned for Chinese Space Station

The International Amateur Radio Union has coordinated frequencies for a large-scale amateur radio payload expected to be launched to the Chinese space station later this year. 

According to the AMSAT News Service, the station will operate on multiple frequencies in the 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands, including provisions for the crew to make voice contacts; crossband FM repeaters 1200-baud packet digipeaters and slow-scan TV/digital imaging. 

The payload has been put together by the Chinese Radio Amateurs Club, the Aerospace System Research Institute of Shanghai, and the Harbin Institute of Technology.