diff --git a/python-sherpa.changes b/python-sherpa.changes
index ef0b901..2baf529 100644
--- a/python-sherpa.changes
+++ b/python-sherpa.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Thu Aug  5 19:36:45 UTC 2021 - Ben Greiner <code@bnavigator.de>
+
+- Add sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch in order to fix test failure
+  gh#sherpa/sherpa#1227
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Fri Jun 11 09:52:54 UTC 2021 - Guillaume GARDET <guillaume.gardet@opensuse.org>
 
diff --git a/python-sherpa.spec b/python-sherpa.spec
index cc68c90..e668c3c 100644
--- a/python-sherpa.spec
+++ b/python-sherpa.spec
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ License:        GPL-3.0-only
 URL:            https://github.com/sherpa/sherpa/
 Source:         https://github.com/sherpa/sherpa/archive/%{version}.tar.gz#/sherpa-%{version}.tar.gz
 Patch1:         reproducible.patch
+# PATCH-FIX-UPSTREAM sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch -- gh#sherpa/sherpa#1227
+Patch2:         https://github.com/sherpa/sherpa/pull/1227.patch#/sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch
 BuildRequires:  %{python_module devel}
 BuildRequires:  %{python_module numpy-devel}
 BuildRequires:  %{python_module setuptools}
diff --git a/sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch b/sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4f971a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sherpa-pr1227-astropy43.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+From 630574022f538c86265ba01c283b8ebc39ce41a0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Douglas Burke <dburke.gw@gmail.com>
+Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2021 16:10:25 -0400
+Subject: [PATCH] Support AstroPy 4.3 for tests
+
+The FITS checking meant that a test that created a test FITS file
+was no-longer valid for AstroPy, so tweak the output to appease
+both AstroPy 4.3 and fverify (at least for the header lines, it
+still claims the fil character is wrong but this is less important).
+---
+ sherpa/astro/io/tests/test_io.py | 8 ++++++--
+ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/sherpa/astro/io/tests/test_io.py b/sherpa/astro/io/tests/test_io.py
+index daa52d096d..a2bf6fdc93 100644
+--- a/sherpa/astro/io/tests/test_io.py
++++ b/sherpa/astro/io/tests/test_io.py
+@@ -150,8 +150,12 @@ def fake_rmf(outfile):
+     def hdr(key, value):
+         if isinstance(value, str):
+             value = "'{}'".format(value)
+-        elif isinstance(value, bool):
+-            value = 'T' if value else 'F'
++        else:
++            if isinstance(value, bool):
++                value = 'T' if value else 'F'
++
++            # add spacing to make FVERIFY happy
++            value = f"{str(value):>20s}"
+ 
+         out = "{:8s}= {}".format(key, value)
+         return out.ljust(80)