Hundred of lives were saved by satellites last year in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to a Jan. 31 press release, of the 330 total rescues made possible by NOAA’s fleet of advanced satellites, 195 were water events, 29 were from aviation incidents and 106 were from incidents on land.
“Each rescue shows the SARSAT system works as planned," Steve Volz, Ph.D., assistant NOAA administrator for its Satellite and Information Service said, according to the release. "Its life-saving ability is built on four decades of teamwork with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, NASA and our international partners.”
Alaska had the most rescues with 55, followed by Florida with 52 and California with 37.
The release reports that NOAA’s satellites are part of the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT), which uses a network of U.S. and international spacecraft to detect and locate distress signals anywhere in the world.
Since its start in 1982, COSPAS-SARSAT has been credited with supporting more than 48,000 rescues worldwide, including more than 9,700 in the United States and its surrounding waters.
The release states that beacon owners are required by law to register their devices with NOAA, which can be done online. This information entered into the system allows those in distress to receive a quicker response and reduces the likelihood of false alarms.
