NOAA satellites helped rescue 300 people in 2025

A corporate jet resting in about five feet of water in Coos Bay, Ore., after skidding off the east end of the runway at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, April 7, 2025. After receiving a SARSAT alert, the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center contacted the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, which dispatched first responders to the scene. Credit: With permission from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.

From an injured skier in the Rockies to a disabled catamaran in the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA’s satellites were pivotal in helping rescue 300 people from life-threatening situations in the U.S. and its surrounding waters in 2025.

Of the rescues last year, 183 people were pulled from the water, 47 were saved from aviation incidents and 70 were rescued on land. Florida had the most people rescued (71), followed by Alaska (28) and Wyoming (21).

The same polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites that help meteorologists issue life-saving forecasts are also part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, or COSPAS-SARSAToffsite link. Since its beginnings in 1982, COSPAS-SARSAT has been credited with supporting more than 63,000 rescues worldwide. This includes more than 11,190 rescues throughout the U.S. and its surrounding waters as part of the U.S. Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system known as SARSAT.

A graphic showing three categories of satellite-assisted rescues that took place in 2025: Of the 300 lives saved, 183 people were rescued at sea, 47 were rescued in aviation incidents and 70 were rescued on land.(Image credit: NOAA)

This system uses a network of U.S. and international spacecraft to detect and locate distress signals from 406MHz emergency beacons onboard aircraft, boats and handheld Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) anywhere in the world.

How it works: When a distress signal is received by the SARSAT Mission Control Center at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md., the information is immediately sent to rescue coordination centers, operated either by the U.S. Air Force for land rescues or the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for maritime rescues. NOAA also supports rescues globally by relaying distress signal information to international COSPAS-SARSAT partners.

Here are three notable rescues from across the U.S. in 2025:

On March 20, a PLB distress signal was detected approximately eight miles south of Ridgway, Colo., in the San Juan Mountains. It was activated by a skier who was immobilized by frostbite. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the alert and contacted the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, which dispatched a rescue team to the coordinates and transported the skier to safety.
On April 7, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacon signal was detected at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend, Ore. It activated when an aircraft with five people on board crashed while landing and slid off the runway into Coos Bay. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the alert and contacted the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, which dispatched first responders to the scene. All passengers and the pilot made it to shore on their own and were transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
On December 29, an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was detected 52 nautical miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. It was activated when a catamaran, with two people, one cat and one dog on board, became disabled and began taking on water. USCG East District received the alert and dispatched a rescue helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City to the scene twice, first to provide a water pump and then again to airlift the sailors and pets to shore.

NOAA and SARSAT

In October 2025, the SARSAT program transitioned leadership roles to the USCG; however, NOAA still maintains SARSAT operations and the satellites that are pivotal in the rescues.

Important note about emergency beacons

By law, 406MHz beacon owners are required to register their devices online with NOAA. Registration information helps provide better and faster assistance to people in distress, reduces false alarms and may also indicate what type of help is needed.