NASA's reconfigurable radio can track planes flying across oceansJanuary 30, 2017 - 11:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - When the 66 Iridium Next satellites are already in orbit, air traffic controllers and pilots will be able to track all flights, even planes flying across ocean. That's because the satellites are equipped with reconfigurable radios called AppSTAR, which NASA built together with Florida-based Harris Corporation. AppSTARs are capable of transmitting larger amounts of data than NASA's current radio communications network can. Plus, they can be reprogrammed from a distance through software upgrades, allowing the agency to tweak them for future missions, Engadget said. These new radios will enable flight tracking over oceans, since they were designed to receive signals from new airplane transceivers called ADS-B. The transceivers automatically send out a flight's number, location and other details. Harris systems engineer Jeff Anderson says "you can keep track of all the aircraft in the world" within seconds once the radios are operational. The ability to track all flights will allow planes to fly with less space between them and to take shorter routes to save fuel, since they'll have little risk of colliding mid-air. If anything does go wrong, search rescue operations will now have the plane's exact location. A SpaceX flight that took off earlier this month ferried the first 10 Iridium Next satellites to orbit, and the company is slated to launch more this year. If everything goes according to plan, the network (and its radios) will be up and running in 2018. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |