Sea routes, plotted from space with 57,000 signals

This satellite makes the seas safer by allowing industry, maritime authorities and governments to control fishing, manage fleets, protect the environment and monitor safety.

The ESAIL microsatellite to track ships at sea captured 57,000 signals in the first 24 hours of operation, using advanced on-board processing algorithms.

Launched on 2 September aboard a Vega rocket from the European spaceport of Kourou, French Guiana, ESAIL has completed the first phase of its commission in orbit with the first global satellite map for maritime navigation.

According to ESA, this satellite makes the seas safer by allowing industry, maritime authorities and governments to control fisheries, manage fleets, protect the environment and monitor safety.

It tracks ships around the world by detecting messages transmitted by the radio with its automatic identification systems, allowing them to be identified even when they are away from coastal monitoring stations.

The satellite was built by LuxSpace as part of a partnership project between ESA and Canadian operator exactEarth.