LISTEN: 8-year-old uses dad’s amateur radio to chat with astronaut aboard the ISS

ENGLAND (Gray News/TMX) – An 8-year-old girl in Kent, England recently made a very long-distance call to the International Space Station.

Isabella Payne used her father’s amateur radio to contact the ISS on Aug. 2.

Her call was answered by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, commander of NASA SpaceX Crew-4, which launched on April 27 for a planned six-month mission.

“My name’s Isabella, I’m 8 years old,” she said over the radio.

“Isabella, it’s so great to chat with you, thank you for getting on the radio and saying hello,” Lindgren replied.

Lindgren tweeted that he’s talked to amateur radio operators all over the world, but “this may be my favorite contact so far.”

“Thank you so much @astro_kjell, you have changed her world,” Isabella’s father, Matthew, tweeted.

Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, uses small frequency bands and is limited to non-commercial purposes.

According to the International Amateur Radio Union, there are more than 3 million licensed operators worldwide.

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