This paper highlights design, realization, testing and flight results of the Radio Frequency developments (RF) for ESA's second Young Engineers' Satellite (YES2), that included GPS systems, an inter-satellite UHF link and a re-entry capsule telemetry and recovery system. The YES2 piggybacked on the Russian-built Foton microgravity platform in September 2007 with as objective the controlled deployment of a 32 km tether, in order to release a small re-entry capsule. That mission was successfully performed, although the capsule could not yet be retrieved. This complex project was performed by hundreds of students from all over Europe. One of the student teams was concerned with the development of RF systems. Most significant is the inter-satellite link between the tethered sub satellite and the tether deployed, through which tether science data from the sub satellite (e.g. tensiometer and dynamic sensors) can be recovered. Furthermore, a GPS/GLONASS receiver was placed on both ends of the tether to monitor the tether deployment. Next, the re-entry capsule has its own transmitter which sends data to an especially developed mobile ground station. Finally, recovery of the landed capsule was planned using an ARGOS beacon, for which two DDRR (loop antennas) were designed that transmit the beacon signal to the ARGOS constellation for positioning. This paper provides a brief overview of these systems and tests performed, and concludes with a discussion of flight results and applicability of the systems to other low-cost satellites, balloon experiments or sounding rockets.
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