Orolia Launches First Galileo-Enabled PLB

Global leader in emergency readiness and response, Orolia, announces the launch of its upgraded McMurdo FastFind 220 and Kannad SafeLink Solo Personal Location Beacons in the United States and Europe, following approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

Continuing Orolia’s innovation and leadership role in Safety Electronics, the PLBs have been upgraded to include Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the European Union's global satellite constellation.

These are the world’s first PLBs utilising the Galileo satellites’ capabilities and are the first of a series of new solutions coming from the EU-funded Helios project, led by Orolia, which has been set up to leverage the power of the new satellite system.

The multi constellation receivers work with a wider range of satellites, offering increased global coverage and supporting accelerated rescue. Location detection is enhanced and can be more precise due to the beacons receiving coordinates from the new precision satellite network in addition to the tried and tested GPS network. Signals can even be detected in high sided locations, such as canyons.

The new Galileo satellites make up part of the MEOSAR system, the next generation of the Cospas-Sarsat international search and rescue satellite system that has helped to save over 43,000 lives since 1982. With the launch of four new satellites in July 2018, the Galileo constellation now consists of 26 satellites of a planned 30, with a target of 2020 for completion of the network. The new system reached its operational phase in 2017, allowing technology with a Galileo-enabled receiver to use signals provided by Galileo's satellite constellation for positioning, navigation and timing.

“We are thrilled to be launching our upgraded PLBs in the European and US markets,” said Chris Loizou, Vice President of Maritime at Orolia. “The combination of both Galileo and GPS GNSS capability means that our customers will benefit from coverage that spans from the North to the South Pole. We work tirelessly to push the boundaries of product innovation and, ultimately, to give people the best chance of being rescued in an emergency situation.”

The McMurdo FastFind and Kannad SafeLink PLBs are part of Orolia’s comprehensive search and rescue ecosystem and join the McMurdo SmartFind G8 and Kannad SafePro series EPIRBs as the first Galileo capable rescue beacons. As the world’s only provider of an end-to-end search and rescue ecosystem – including distress beacons, satellite ground stations, mission control and rescue coordination systems, and rescue response products – Orolia’s McMurdo brand uniquely builds, integrates and tests products as part of a live search and rescue system. This ensures greater cohesion between distress signal transmission and reception so that beacon owners can feel confident that their signals will get to search and rescue authorities quickly.