Flight following wherever you are - Curt LEWIS

The satellite system that could avoid another MH370: Radical scheme to track aircraft wherever they are to be fully operational in 2018

 

• Fleet of 66 satellites carrying airplane-tracking tech could operate by 2018
• The satellites are equipped with receivers, each 'about the size of a mini fridge'
• It could allow flights to take more direct routes, and track in remote locations

A fleet of 66 satellites carrying airplane-tracking technology could soon keep tabs on the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft all around the world.

Iridium launched the first ten satellites in January, and so far, two have been switched on and begun to send back data.

It comes three years after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and experts say the new system could ensure that flights no longer go unaccounted for.

Iridium launched the first ten satellites in January, and so far, two have been switched on and begun to send back data. In just 62 hours, one of these satellites was able to track the positions of 17,000 aircraft

HOW TRAVEL WOULD IMPROVE

The technique could make flying much safer, providing a global picture of airplane activity for air traffic control.

And, it could allow flights to take more direct routes, and even allow them to safely fly closer together, as their paths will be plotted more precisely.

With space-based ADS-B, aircraft could fly just 15 nautical miles apart, down significantly from the minimum distance of 80 nautical miles they typically require today.

In turn, this would cut down flight time, fuel, and greenhouse gas emissions - it could even cut the amount of fuel burned by 284 million pounds a year, according to PopSci.

In just 62 hours, one of these satellites was able to track the positions of 17,000 aircraft - even those over oceans and remote locations that are impenetrable by radar, according to Popular Science.

It's hoped that the entire system will be running by 2018.

'For the first time, we're getting aviation traffic from all over the world, including the oceans,' Daniel Colussey, former CEO of satellite communications company Iridium, said at a conference last weekend, Popular Science reports.

'It's the first time a plane has ever been surveilled over the poles.'

The technique could make flying much safer, providing a global picture of airplane activity for air traffic control.

Each satellite is equipped with Aireon's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) recievers, each of which are 'about the size of a mini refrigerator,' according to PopSci.

While the global network may be a few years away, tests with air traffic managers in Iceland, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, and other locations have so far provided a glimpse at its promise.

A test with Nav Canada revealed the technology could accurately observe the location of a plane flying through a remote area of the country where there's typically no surveillance.

While this was only possible when the satellite passed over the plane, about once every 100 minutes, the process will be continuous when all satellites are in orbit, according to PopSci.

A test with Nav Canada revealed the technology could accurately observe the location of a plane flying through a remote area of the country where there's typically no surveillance

Ground stations using ADS-B have been in use for roughly 15 years, and can track a plane's position based on GPS.

By putting the receivers on satellites, they won't be limited by the typical line-of-slight problems.

'You don't really have an option for surveillance in the ocean,' said Vinny Capezzuto, CTO of Aireon, according to PopSci.

'Right now, air traffic controllers project where the aircraft should be, based on the flight plan or the pilot report, rather than reality.

'Deviations in the flight plan happen all the time.'

The technology could allow flights to take more direct routes, and even allow them to safely fly closer together, as their paths will be plotted more precisely.

With space-based ADS-B, aircraft could fly just 15 nautical miles apart, down significantly from the minimum distance of 80 nautical miles they typically require today.

The next set of satellites is due to launch in June, with hopes that all 66 will be deployed by the end of 2018

In turn, this would cut down flight time, fuel, and greenhouse gas emissions - it could even cut the amount of fuel burned by 284 million pounds a year, according to PopSci.

The next set of satellites is due to launch in June, with hopes that all 66 will be deployed by the end of 2018.

'We've seen aircraft in the polar regions, where nobody sees any air traffic,' Capezzeuto said, according to PopSci.

'We've seen them in oceanic regions. We can see the tracks from Europe into North America. When we have all 66 satellites up, that'll be the picture we see every time, every second.

'This is going to be the first time air traffic controllers can see the entire world.'