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High-Gain Antenna Tests

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A high-gain antenna that will be placed on one of the twin STEREO observatories is hoisted into the air in preparation for alignment and radio frequency system testing conducted at APL during spacecraft construction and testing efforts.

After launch, the primary spacecraft communication system-the radio frequency (RF) system-enables two-way communication between the spacecraft and scientists on the ground. The RF system is used to downlink data (typically through a high-gain antenna) from, or uplink commands to, a spacecraft.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory