The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Tuesday that its satellites helped rescue 300 people in 2025 from life-threatening situations across the U.S.
Whether it was an injured hiker or a stranded boater, NOAA’s satellite tools assisted law enforcement and rescue teams during these operations.
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According to NOAA, 183 people were pulled from the water, 47 were saved from aviation incidents and 70 were rescued on land.
Florida had the most rescues with 71 people, followed by Alaska with 28 and Wyoming with 21.
One of the most notable rescues occurred in March 2025, when a stranded skier who was immobilized by frostbite issued a distress signal in Ridgway, Colorado.
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The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the alert and contacted the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, which dispatched a rescue team to the skier’s coordinates.
NOAA utilizes the same polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites that meteorologists use to issue lifesaving weather forecasts.
These satellites are part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, or COSPAS-SARSAT.
COSPAS-SARSAT began in 1982 and has helped rescue more than 63,000 people worldwide. This includes more than 11,190 rescues throughout the U.S. and its surrounding waters, which is part of the U.S. Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system (SARSAT).
SARSAT uses a network of U.S. and international spacecrafts to detect aircrafts, boats and personnel.
Information collected at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility is immediately sent to rescue coordination centers operated by the United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard.
The satellite data also supports rescue missions worldwide by relaying distress signals to international partners.
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