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(2 GHz), X-band (8 GHz), and Ka-band (32 GHz). Frequency usage has in general moved upward over the life of the DSN, as higher frequencies have higher gain for the same size antenna, and the deep space bands are wider, so more data can be returned. However, higher frequencies also need more accurate pointing (on the spacecraft) and more precise antenna surfaces (on Earth), so improvements in both spacecraft and the DSN were required to move to higher bands. Early missions used

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