Registered 406 emergency beacons are proven to save lives.
The same NOAA satellites that helped forecasters track weather and wildfires were also critical in rescuing a record 421 people from potentially life-threatening situations throughout the United States and its surrounding waters in 2019.
NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System, Cospas-Sarsat.
Of the 421 U.S. rescues last year, 306 were water rescues, 38 were from aviation incidents and 77 were from events on land, where PLBs were used.
Since its start in 1982, Cospas-Sarsat has been credited with supporting more than 48,000 rescues worldwide, including nearly more than 9,000 in the United States and its surrounding waters.
Read more here:
https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-satellites-helped-save-record-421-lives-in-2019