How do we talk to our astronauts and vehicles in space? The Space Communications and Networking (SCaN) Testbed (STB) is a flight and ground system that has lead the way for technical and programmatic advancement of communications technology. It consists of reconfigurable software-defined radios that give mission planners the ability to change radio functionality while on orbit. SCaN's Deep Space Network currently has two different types of antennas: High Efficiency (HEF) and Beam Waveguide (BWG). Both antennas receive and transmit information to and from the satellites in space but are different in how they receive, transmit and process the data. Pictured above: system thermal-vacuum testing performed on the SCaN Testbed. Photo Credit: NASA #SCaN #NASA #radiowaves #space #network #tech #cool