R.F. Stebbings and F.B. Dunning were the editors of Rydberg States of Atoms and Molecules. Issued in 1983, this book actually reflected the emergence of a new field in atomic and molecular physics, which subsequently resulted in a number of applications in academic sciences and technology. In this paper, we analyze the results obtained in recent years for ionization processes in collisions of heavy particles with the participation of Rydberg atoms in a wide energy range. These results have been actively used in modern applications of atomic physics. In addition, we consider the influence of nonlinear resonant interaction of Rydberg complexes with electromagnetic waves on the rate of propagation of satellite signals in the atmosphere.