Satellite communications use microwaves to transmit and receive information. A different frequency is used to send information back to Earth because the ionosphere interacts differently with different microwave frequencies, allowing some frequencies to pass through more easily. The ionosphere can reflect or refract radio waves depending on their frequency. Diffraction allows radio waves to reach areas they could not travel to in a straight line from their source. The size of any gaps or obstructions affects the amount of diffraction, with larger gaps producing less diffraction and smaller gaps producing more diffraction.