The reporter has raised a safety concern in relation to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) not utilising satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) for search and rescue purposes.
The reporter states, in recent years, during the early period of the deployment of Aireon's constellation of satellites, Aireon provided AMSA real time and historic, accurate GPS position information from aircraft equipped with ADS-B 'out' for search and rescue purposes. The reporter further states that the situation changed when Aireon demanded a fee for service.
The reporter states, satellite-based ADS-B can provide search and rescue officers with accurate, real-time information (including trajectory information) which could assist in the immediate pin-pointing of an aircraft accident, potentially delivering a rescue without a lengthy search.
The reporter provided an example of a twin engine aircraft that sustained a dual engine failure with nine passengers on board. The aircraft was tracked during the subsequent forced landing onto a highway using real time satellite-based data provided by Aireon.
The reporter advises Australia should be a world leader in the provision of its search and rescue agencies, and satellite-based ADS-B is world leading technology. The reporter further queries if negotiations are underway for access to either Aireon's data or one of the other satellite-based ADS-B providers (such as [Provider 2])?
The reporter is further concerned that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is not utilising ADS-B to assist with accurate and real time information for transport safety investigation purposes.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) response:
In reply to REPCON Report RA2024-00158 I provide the following reply:
AMSA has recently identified funding for an Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) satellite subscription service, to support AMSA’s search and rescue function, and is in the process of progressing the contract/procurement for this. The assessment process looked at a range of options across providers but, as the procurement process is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to amplify against a preferred option/provider until that procurement is concluded.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) response:
The ATSB has previously utilised ADS-B satellite data on request through the services of Aireon in conjunction with AMSA and Airservices Australia. In 2022, Aireon advised that due to a policy change, their service would no longer be provided.
The ATSB and Airservices Australia have a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance aviation safety by facilitating cooperation between the agencies. Additionally, Airservices complies with ATSB requests for material under section 32 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (TSI Act), including the provision of surveillance data, where available. Airservices Australia operate and maintain ground stations that receive data from GPS equipped aircraft.
A response was not requested from the regulator.
The ATSB notes that an Aireon press release from 12 September 2024 notes that:
Under the terms of the two-year agreement, AMSA, Australia’s national agency responsible for maritime safety, protection of the marine environment, and maritime aviation search and rescue, will use the Aireon Locate platform across the nearly 53 million square kilometers of the Melbourne Flight Information Region (FIR) and Brisbane FIR, plus a 300-nautical-mile buffer/transition zone.