IPN establishes Mexico’s first direct link with the International Space Station

For the first time in Mexico's history, the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) made a direct radio connection with the International Space Station (ISS) from the Luis Enrique Erro Planetarium.

The educational institution reported that contact was made with astronaut Zena Cardman, commander of NASA and SpaceX's Crew-11 mission, who answered questions from children and young people at the Luis Enrique Erro Planetarium.

The director general of the IPN explained that the broadcast was intended to encourage the younger generation to pursue careers in the aerospace industry.

The link was made possible by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program, an educational initiative that allows students from around the world to communicate in real time with astronauts in orbit, to spark their interest in science and technology. An antenna built in Mexico by IPN engineers was used for this purpose.

In previous exercises, a “telebridge” had been used through infrastructure in other latitudes, hence the significance of today's contact, made directly from the Polytechnic, without relying on antennas or base stations abroad.

The historic link is part of the federal government's communications and education policy, which aims to encourage new generations to take an interest in related careers.

The director general of the IPN, Arturo Reyes Sandoval, also participated in the dialogue with the astronaut, who said that "it is an incredible moment. They have just spoken directly with the International Space Station and, surely, for the first time in their lives, with an astronaut.

The IPN emphasized that the link was made possible thanks to strategic collaboration between the Directorate for Science and Technology Dissemination (DDiCyT), the Luis Enrique Erro Planetarium, the Aerospace Development Center (CDA), and the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit for Engineering and Advanced Technologies (UPIITA) of the IPN.