During a fishing competition over Memorial Day weekend in 2024, a five-person team found themselves stranded 40 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast after their boat sank in less than a minute. With no cellular service available, the group relied on a personal locator beacon (PLB) to signal for help.
The device, a ResQLink PLB manufactured by ACR Electronics, transmitted a distress signal to the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system. This network, which utilizes technology originally developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, relays emergency coordinates to ground stations, allowing rescue coordination centers to dispatch local authorities. In this instance, the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted and successfully rescued the group after they spent four hours in the water.
Easton Barrett, one of the survivors, emphasized the importance of carrying such equipment, noting his commitment to educating others on outdoor safety. “If that will save one life, it’s worth the effort,” Barrett said.
The SARSAT program, which began U.S. operations in 1982 and expanded internationally in 1985, now includes 62 satellites and involves 45 nations. Since its inception, the system has been credited with saving more than 63,000 lives globally. The beacons used in the system are designed to be rugged and buoyant, with battery lives ranging from five to 10 years to ensure reliability in emergency situations.
Source: NASA
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