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NASA’s Life-Saving Technology Where Cell Signals Can’t Go
NASA's Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) technology facilitates emergency rescues by relaying distress signals from personal locator beacons to ground stations. The article details the system's global reach and its role in rescuing a fishing crew in 2024.
Why it matters
Personal locator beacons can alert rescue services in remote areas where cell phone signals are unavailable, significantly increasing survival chances during emergencies at sea or on land.
The big picture
This article highlights NASA's role in global civilian safety, providing a different perspective from prior coverage regarding its launch services contracts.
The details
The system was originally developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. ResQLink PLBs, produced by ACR Electronics Inc., are buoyant and have five- to 10-year battery lives. In 2024, this technology enabled the rescue of a five-person crew 40 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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Key connections
ACR Electronics Inc. is related to ResQLink
a registered ResQLink PLB developed by ACR Electronics Inc.
ACR Electronics Inc. is related to ResQLink View
Turning on a ResQLink View PLB from ACR Electronics
NASA is related to Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking
In the SARSAT system, developed partly by NASA
ResQLink View uses GPS
Turning on a ResQLink View PLB from ACR Electronics will automatically “ping” orbiting satellites that send location and GPS information
Goddard Space Flight Center is related to Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking
The flight and ground technologies used globally were originally developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
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