This story was updated 4/27/2026

The University of Pittsburgh had a unique opportunity last week...helping NASA track Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft on its mission to the moon and back! Students from the university’s Panther Amateur Radio Club (PARC) were among the students and faculty who participated.

Faculty advisor Juan Manfredi, NAØB, said the school responded to a request from NASA to submit a proposal, which was completed by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in late October 2025. The official OK came from NASA in mid-January. “But the real challenge was just beginning and we needed to gather the equipment, test it, and make sure we could make contact,” said Manfredi.

For their part, the club’s members needed to find and track a carrier signal from the spacecraft. Usually, a 9-meter dish antenna would be needed, but with help from the ECE department, they were able to purchase a 1.2-meter dish and a software-defined radio (SDR).

Manfredi said there were two final challenges. “Because of our location, we needed to be on the roof of our building between 4 and 6 AM every day. And, because we are located in the Northern Hemisphere, we only had about a 20-degree window to acquire the signal.”

In all, five club members took turns and were able to acquire the spacecraft signal on the second and fourth days of the mission. The information was recorded and is still being analyzed.

For the club members, what was their reaction to this opportunity? “Fantastic!” said Manfredi. “Twenty years from now, they may not remember who taught them calculus but will remember cold nights and mornings at 4:00 AM on the roof tracking a spacecraft.”

The PARC is 111 years old and received its first experimental license, 8YI, in 1915. It is an ARRL Affiliated Club.