U.S. satellites helped rescue 300 people last year, including 5 on a jet that crashed in water. Here's how.

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.   In:

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.

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.