Leopold Summerer, head of ESA’s Advanced Concepts Team, explains how their work exploring the future of space activities can sometimes have surprisingly rapid payoffs. Apparently theoretical research into applying Einsteinian relativity theory to satellite positioning systems like GPS and Europe’s own Galileo system ended up having practical value. When Europe’s fifth and sixth Galileo satellites were launched into incorrect, elongated orbits in 2014, the team worked with ESA’s Navigation Directorate to design a method of using these satellites to test one of Einstein’s predictions more rigorously than ever before.

For more information, read Leopold’s interview