Riccardo De Gaudenzi received his MsC degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1985 and his PhD from the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands, in 1999. From 1986 to 1988, he was with the European Space Agency (ESA) Ground Stations and Communications Engineering Department. In 1988, he joined ESAs Research and Technology Centre, the Netherlands, where he has been covering several technical and managerial positions inside the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality. He is currently the Head of the ESA’s Electrical Engineering Department. The department covers radiofrequency systems and payloads for navigation, telecommunication TT&C and Earth observation, EEE components and microelectronics, data handling systems, power systems and energy sources, electromagnetic compatibility, space environments and their effects. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities covering the different technical areas. Dr. De Gaudenzi has contributed to 8 space communication standards, authored or co-authored more than 70 full papers in peer-reviewed journals and 3 books and holds 28 patents.