Motivated by the mystery disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner last year, a deal was reached at a U.N. meeting that opens the way for satellite tracking of airlines. The agreement allows nations to set aside radio frequencies so that airplanes can be tracked by satellite – not just from the ground.
Under current radar-based systems, the movement of planes is monitored by land-based systems, leaving around 70 percent of the world's surface uncovered.
Modern planes that can send Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, signals to the ground are now on track to send signals to satellites too — with implementation expected by 2017.
Source: The Asian Age
