![Three satellites orbit the Earth.](/sites/default/files/styles/news_3_up/public/news/image/2023-01/239117_japan_qzss_satellites.jpeg?h=8abcec71&itok=Jy4mVTZH)
![Staff from the Systems Engineering Group with the four wide-field cameras for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).](/sites/default/files/styles/ifde_hero/public/rdgroup/image/2018-04/CSA%20Group%20Picture%20Up_v2.jpg?h=485cf52b&itok=R9GVqAX3)
Systems Engineering
Our engineers ensure that all the components of a system work together to achieve the desired results. Our work ranges from trade and design studies at the beginning of a program to planning and executing the assembly, integration, and test of prototype systems. We also plan and execute testing to validate that a system performs properly. Our teams handle most of the large prototype systems developed by the Laboratory, including space payloads and satellites for sensing and communication, and airborne and ground-based systems. Recent technologies we have worked on include deployable antennas for small satellites and propulsion systems for CubeSats.