美国公司开发太空基地飞机追踪技术

US Company Developing Space-Based Plane Tracking 美国公司开发太空基地飞机追踪技术

LEESBURG, VA—

One of the reasons Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 hasn't been found is because the plane couldn't be tracked continuously over the ocean.  In fact, nearly 3/4 of the globe is untrackable by ground-based radar¹, the typical way to keep track of aircraft since the 1940s. One company now plans to deploy² space-based tracking payloads so that 100% of the earth is trackable and no plane will ever be "lost" again.

Sixty-six satellites orbiting the planet, the Iridium NEXT constellation³, could change the way we fly.  Deployment begins in December as they replace old satellites already in place. The NEXT satellites will carry a payload to receive an airplane's transponder signal every few seconds.

MH370 flew out of the range of Malaysian military radar while over the Indian Ocean -- the plane has yet to be found, more than a year later.

Don Thoma, CEO of aircraft tracking company Aireon, said MH370 revealed the limits of the current tracking system.

“It highlighted to the rest of the world and to the public at large what the aviation industry already knew -- that over 70% of the world doesn’t have surveillance. Aircraft aren’t tracked when flying over a major, major portion of the world," said Thoma.

Thoma said the NEXT satellites will show it all.

The satellites’ receivers, which update every few seconds, rely on cockpit equipment already required by some countries as controllers move from ground-based radar to satellite navigation. 

Iridium monitors its satellites from a control center in Virginia. 

Since planes can't currently be tracked over entire oceans, safety rules require large distances between planes. Once NEXT is fully⁴ deployed⁵ in 3 years, planes will be able to fly closer to each other, resulting in efficiency and fuel savings⁶ for the airlines. Passengers will see more flights and more direct flights to locations around the globe.

Iridium already has customers ready to pay for this real time tracking of civilian⁷ aircraft.

They also are building an emergency operations center 10 kilometers north of Ireland's Shannon airport. Any time an aircraft is lost, the airline or rescue organization could contact the center for the plane's last flight track.

"That's unique now because it will be within 8 seconds of when the last contact was made, the distances would have been narrowed down, in the case of MH370, if that was available at the time," said Tony Merrigan of the Irish Aviation Authority.

And that service will be free.

1 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。