5 ways satellites can be used for good

Many international organizations, like the United Nations, envision a world where connectivity eventually becomes a human right.

Satellites are the foundational infrastructure for ensuring global safety, a lifeline after a natural disaster, a tool for conservation and decarbonization and of course, a vital key to enabling connectivity across the globe.

Here are a few ways satellite communication benefits us and the world.

Satellites enhance safety and operational efficiency across maritime, aviation, defense, and other industries.

• Play a pivotal role in mitigating safety risks through the enhancement of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) – the main source of truth for all maritime data
• Provide real-time weather information to improve communication between pilots and air traffic control, enabling safer skies for all
• Support coordination between government and defense forces to respond swiftly during critical operations and crisis situations

Satellite connectivity is key to coordinating disaster relief efforts and enabling the access and dissemination of information during and after a natural disaster.

• Enables first responders and rescue organizations to communicate when infrastructure is down or destroyed
• Mobilizes quickly, virtually anywhere, anytime, to provide real-time connectivity
• Enhances situational awareness and facilitates medical treatment
• Connects those displaced and affected by disaster with family and loved ones.

Cutting down on carbon emissions is the critical challenge of our time, and satellite technology is making a significant contribution to tackling climate change from high above the Earth.

• Helps optimize flight routes and minimize delays which lowers airline’s carbon footprint
• Minimizes shipping fuel consumption and emissions with real-time tracking, weather updates and efficient fleet management
• Reduces energy waste, promotes renewable energy integration, and creates more sustainable energy systems with IoT and smart grid technologies

• Mitigates the impacts of environmental disasters
• Uses IoT technologies that can help manage human-wildlife conflict near urban areas and identify endangered species, and monitor illegal fishing of threatened marine species.
• Supports alternative energy grids, like solar panels and wind turbines
• Tracks everything from agriculture water usage, deforestation and pollution with always on connectivity solutions

Nearly half the world still doesn’t have reliable access to high-quality, affordable internet. By bringing connectivity to where it’s need most, advancing satellite technology can change lives by:

• Providing better access to healthcare
• Fostering education, new ideas and creativity
• Unlocking economic opportunity and spur job growth
• Supporting mental health through human connection

As the demand for satellite connectivity continues to skyrocket across the planet, the industry will continue to flourish. With that comes unprecedented challenges, like managing space debris, ensuring equitable access to space and spectrum usage – all of which are issues that are deeply concerning for us and generations to come.

Our recent Viasat: Beyond space competition winner, Ash Goldsmith, had a profound metaphor for the current situation we are in. He pointed out that we’ve essentially reached an inflection point where satellite debris are becoming to space what plastics are to the planet.

Plastics, once hailed as a revolutionary technology, are now known to cause severe environmental damage. In fact, even the tiniest of pieces of plastic can be found in the human body. What’s worse is that we were aware of the potential harms of plastic use in the 1960s but went on to use the material at an exponential rate over the subsequent decades.

Currently, we are aware of the importance of space sustainability and the worrying overuse of space which could lead to an even greater increase in space debris, potentially even rendering some orbits unusable, yet by the end of this decade it is estimated 100,000 satellites will be launched.

It’s becoming more evident to industry experts and young people alike that ignoring these threats puts us at immediate risk of potentially impeding scientific research, exploration, climate monitoring, security, communications, digital inclusion, and various commercial, defense, and civic uses.

We are always collaborating with industries and governments globally to establish thoughtful regulations and policies. Through this work, our goal is to ensure that space continues to be safe and accessible to everyone – for the good of all down here on Earth.