US: Nearly after four weeks of search for the missing flight MH370, Globalstar, a satellite-network and satellite-based product company out of Covington, Louisiana has claimed that its technology could have found the plane sooner.
In an interview given to CNN, the CEO of Globestar, Jay Monroe said, “As soon as that airplane changed course, as soon as that airplane went higher or lower, or did anything, you would know that every second.”
Globalstar partnered with ADS-B technology in 2011, which sends a signal from a plane to various ground infrastructures to track it. But Globalstar has an augmented satellite link to work with the technology, which allows that signal to be tracked through the company's expansive satellite network instead. “Every second from in 400 milliseconds you're able to deliver that message and track that aircraft down to about 30 feet," Monroe said, explaining further.
The company says its technology takes out the gaps in coverage that are common with radar and control towers now, especially when planes are over oceans and deep canyons. He adds that the technology allows adding several attributes such as successful tight routing, saving fuel, flying aircraft closer together, etc." said Monroe.
Two of Globalstar's satellite products are already used in the general and corporate aviation world to improve tracking. And with all new commercial planes coming outfitted with the ADS-B technology, and old planes requiring retrofitting by 2020, Globalstar is hoping to make its satellite link the next necessity to prevent another mystery like MH 370.
The technology can be prevented from being disconnected, as is suspected in the Malaysian flight.
Globalstar hopes to have its satellite link certified for use by the FAA in the next 18 months. Globalstar moved from Silicon Valley to Covington in 2010 after acquiring a Covington firm with a Global Positioning System technology that provides an emergency locator service for people boating, hiking or otherwise visiting remote locations.
Source: NOLA
