TAKEOFF WITH CAPTAIN DOUG
Newly launched satellites are helping aircraft surveillance go global.
Global air traffic will soon be watched from above, under a constellation of 66 Low-Earth Orbit satellites. Ground-based surveillance radar is limited to line of sight; it is a challenge in mountainous regions and non-existent over oceans. The global umbrella network of Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) satellites will safely allow aircraft to fly closer to one another (15 nautical miles over the ocean, down from 40) and permit shorter routes and optimal altitudes, thus saving fuel and time and lowering carbon emissions. Mandatory compliance begins in U.S. airspace on New Year’s Day, and Canada follows in 2021. Many countries and airlines are already using ADS-B: Air Canada adopted it last March.