Konstanz [Germany], November 30: The satellite tracking of animals from space will soon resume following a relaunch of the ICARUS (International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space) project after a three-year pause.
On Friday, a SpaceX rocket carried a satellite with a mini-receiver into orbit, according to the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in the southern German city of Konstanz. More are to follow in the coming years.
From an altitude of 500 kilometres, the receiver reads signals from tiny transmitters attached to migratory birds, bats or sea turtles, said the director of the institute and the project's initiator Martin Wikelski. The data shows where the animals are and where they are moving and can aid behavioural research, conservation and efforts to fight the spread of infectious diseases.
For the first time, the system is expected to function worldwide in near real-time, Wikelski said. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
