Aireon global tracking gaining speed, but still on the runway

Thoma said it takes roughly 45 days from launch until the ADS-B payloads are turned over to Aireon. He said the company needs the next five to six launches complete before it can begin offering a service called GlobalBeacon with FlightAware, a flight-tracking-data company. GlobalBeacon uses Aireon’s space-based ADS-B to track aircraft every minute, and enables aircraft to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization’s upcoming Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) standards.… (spacenews.com) More...