[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/sv\/article\/modal\/14610\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EResearchers turn ocean dead zones into talking skies for pilots\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn 4 June 2025, air traffic controllers in Spain\u2019s Canary Islands held a clear, uninterrupted conversation with a commercial pilot flying high above the Atlantic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo most people, that might sound routine. For flights far from land, it is anything but.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver oceans, clear and instant air traffic communication is still the exception rather than the rule. Instead, long gaps between messages force pilots\u0026nbsp;onto less efficient routes and make it harder to manage traffic over\u0026nbsp;vast stretches of open sky.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EDelivering a single European sky\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo tackle these communication and surveillance blind spots, a cross-border team of satellite engineers, air traffic specialists, airlines and research organisations from Spain, Portugal and Germany joined forces in a four-year EU-co-funded initiative called ECHOES.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team set out to modernise Europe\u2019s air traffic management.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ERunning until December 2025, this initiative tested space-based very high frequency (VHF) radio and satellite aircraft tracking systems (ADS-B) to improve air traffic management in oceanic and remote airspace.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCurrently aviation relies on VHF radio as the main means of communication, but there are a lot of areas in the world that lack this,\u201d explained Gabriel Garc\u00eda, ECHOES coordinator and programme manager at Startical, a Spanish public-private enterprise developing global satellite services for air navigation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA gap over the oceans\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce planes leave the range of coastal ground stations \u2013 typically around 350 kilometres offshore \u2013 they disappear from radar and lose standard VHF radio contact. From that point on, communication becomes slower, patchier and less precise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead, communication switches to older high-frequency radio, where transmissions are often affected by interference, background noise and delays. Pilots can still report their position and receive instructions, but not instantly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe communication delay can be significant. Captain Pablo Poza, a veteran pilot flying transatlantic routes, said exchanges between pilots and controllers over oceans can involve gaps of up to five minutes, and in urgent cases, three minutes each way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003ETo have continuous, global coverage, we have calculated that we would need around 300 satellites.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EGabriel Garc\u00eda, Startical\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf I have any kind of problem when flying over the ocean and I have something to tell the control, their answer could take up to six minutes,\u201d Poza said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe wait, he explained, adds stress and reduces the time available to respond if something goes wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause controllers cannot continuously monitor aircraft with radar or speak instantly with pilots, they compensate by increasing separation distances. Over land, aircraft may fly 8 to 10 nautical miles apart.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver oceans, that can expand to 50 or even 80 nautical miles. The system is safe, but it limits capacity and efficiency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA call from orbit\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ECHOES team set out to change that. Building on earlier proof-of-concept work, the researchers developed and launched two small satellites into low Earth orbit in 2025. The satellites \u2013 the first one weighing around 35 kilograms and the second around 100 kilograms \u2013 carry VHF antennas capable of relaying the same voice and data signals aircraft already use to communicate with ground stations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSpace technology has evolved, and miniaturisation and the lower costs of satellite launchers have made this VHF provision realistic,\u201d Garc\u00eda said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe small satellites sit in low Earth orbit (altitudes between 160 and 2 000 km). This proximity to Earth and aircraft flight paths helps reduce time delay and keep VHF communications clear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe breakthrough came when researchers successfully demonstrated, for the first time, real-time VHF data communications from space. In simple terms, they proved that aircraft could not only talk via satellite as they normally would over land, but also send and receive operational data messages through space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter that first conversation, the ECHOES team ran further successful trials with planes from several airlines flying over the Atlantic between Europe and the Americas.\u0026nbsp;These demonstrated that space-based VHF can work alongside ground systems and satellite-based aircraft tracking to provide continuous coverage in oceanic airspace.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor pilots, the experience felt reassuringly familiar. \u201cWe just talked to them as we normally do with ground-based VHF stations,\u201d Poza said after participating in the tests. \u201cI did not notice any difference. What I noticed was that it was normal.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat normality is precisely the point.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESafer skies, greener flights\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow that the ECHOES team has shown that space-based VHF communication works, the next step is to expand it worldwide. A truly global service would need many more satellites.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo have continuous, global coverage, we have calculated that we would need around 300 satellites,\u201d Garc\u00eda said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReliable satellite links\u0026nbsp;could let pilots adjust routes in real time in response to weather, turbulence or congestion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EWorldwide VHF communication via satellite changes how pilots and air traffic controllers stay connected.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003ECaptain Pablo Poza, Air Europa\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we could communicate with air traffic control continuously and they could ask other pilots for reports, that would improve feedback about what is happening around us,\u201d Poza said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAircraft could fly more direct routes, cutting fuel use and emissions. Better communication would also allow more aircraft to safely use busy oceanic corridors, increasing airspace capacity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWorldwide VHF communication via satellite changes how pilots and air traffic controllers stay connected,\u201d Poza said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy extending VHF coverage from space we can ensure continuous standardised communication. That improves safety by reducing delay and giving pilots reliable two\u2011way communication.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf scaled up, the system could ensure that aircraft over the mid-Atlantic are as connected as those flying above Europe\u2019s busiest skies, turning today\u2019s communication gaps into a seamless global network.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy bringing standard VHF into orbit, Europe\u2019s aviation innovators are showing how space technology can quietly transform everyday flying \u2013 making long-haul journeys safer, more efficient and better for the planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E* The article has been amended to correct the weight of the satellites.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-xihyx0ae5dqo-f2nwu5aulwvmntgqccznyghrgjl8fw\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-xiHYx0AE5dqo-f2nWU5AULwVmNtgQcCZnyGhRGJL8fw\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]