The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last week that it has saved more than 5,000 people using the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (Sarsat).

The system, established in 1982, uses NOAA’s polar- and geostationary-orbiting satellites to detect and locate emergency position indicators such as radio beacons onboard ships and boats, locator transmitters carried on aircraft, and personal beacons designed for use by hikers and campers. Once a satellite picks up a distress signal, it is relayed to the NOAA’s Mission Control Center in Suitland, Md., which then dispatches the appropriate rescue agency.