On that, could you explain the term transponder when I would have thought transceiver would be a more apt description. From the SDST and Iris info out there they handle up and downlinks, telemetry and commands etc. which all seem like transceiver functions.
Hm, yeah, I would have called it a "transceiver", but SDST uses "transponder" in the name so I started using that term without thinking. I guess the terms are used interchangeably in this context...
Edit: what's Iris? Also now I'm not sure SDST was sending the data -- was that on a different radio?
Ok https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/38449/04-1359... is pretty clear (telecom section) that SDST was how the data got down. Also interesting that it says the radios were designed to last 5.2 years. I'm guessing it just wasn't worth trying to prove they would last longer.
