U.S. satellites helped rescue 300 people last year. Here's how.

A network of satellites supported 300 rescues across the U.S. and its surrounding waters in 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. U.S. U.S. satellites helped rescue 300 people last year, including 5 on a jet that crashed in water. Here's how. By Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor Updated on: March 4, 2026 / 9:16 AM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A global network of satellites helped save 300 people from life-threatening situations in the United States and its surrounding waters in 2025, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which operates the system. Of the rescues conducted last year, 183 people were pulled from water, including five on board a jet that crashed into Oregon's Coos Bay in April, the agency said. In that instance, a satellite picked up a signal from an emergency distress beacon at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, which had been set off when the aircraft slid off of the runway while trying to land. Their alert was initially patched through to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which contacted the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, which sent responders to the scene. All five people reached the shore on their own, according to NOAA. They were then taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. 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. NOAA/Southwest Oregon Regional Airport In addition to those rescues at sea, satellites played a role in 47 aviation rescues and 70 land rescues last year, NOAA said. The agency said most of the incidents took place in Florida, with 71 rescues in 2025, followed by Alaska and Wyoming, with 28 and 21 rescues, respectively.Some other notable rescues included that of a skier who became stranded in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. While suffering from frostbite and unable to move, the skier emergency distress call was detected by satellites and flagged to local authorities, who dispatched a rescue team to the skier's coordinates. Later, in December, two sailors and their dog were rescued from a sinking catamaran almost 60 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, thanks to a radio alert also detected by satellites, NOAA said.The satellites are part of the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, or SARSAT. It's a worldwide system with a U.S. branch, involving numerous satellites that orbit Earth at different locations and altitudes. Last year's rescues add to thousands made possible by the system over the last few decades: Since SARSAT was first developed in 1982, the global system has supported more than 63,000 rescues globally and more than 11,190 rescues across the U.S., NOAA said. Search and rescue tools attached to these satellites are able to detect emergency distress signals transmitted by 406 beacons — devices that are specifically designed to ping the satellite. Often used by pilots, sailors, hikers and others to dispense emergency notifications from remote areas, the 406 beacons can be smaller, personal devices or larger units that are mounted to planes or boats and triggered automatically in crisis scenarios. In: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration © 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.