NOORDWIJK, NETHERLANDS - APRIL 14: A general view of the 'Clean Room with Air Lock' through to the lab with the In-Orbit Validation or IOV, the working model of the orbiting Galileo satellite for testing on the ground in the Radio Frequency Systems, Payload and Technology Laboratories at the European Space Agency on April 14, 2016 in Noordwijk, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) Satellites of all kinds have one central characteristic in common. They all have to reach out either to receive commands, transmit scientific findings, relay telecommunications, perform remote sensing or, increasingly, deliver precision navigation and timing data - relying on radio frequencies (RFs) to do so. ESAs Radio Frequency Systems, Payload and Technology Laboratories perform RF research for both the space and ground segments. The Radio Navigation Lab is supporting the current Galileo service rollout. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
