Starlink satellite broadband used in Lake District mountain rescue

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 7 Nov, 08:23 · Archive

Mountain rescue volunteers used Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet to contact a walker who fell onto a hornet's nest in the Lake District.

A walker who fell down a steep bank onto a hornet's nest in Wetheral was contacted by Penrith Mountain Rescue Team using Starlink satellite broadband on 9 August. The casualty's initial distress call could not get through because of poor mobile signal at Mardale Head, where the team was taking part in a training exercise. A mountain rescue volunteer used Starlink in the team's control vehicle to relay the message and maintain contact with the casualty.

Starlink is a satellite internet service provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The company says it uses 'the world's most advanced satellite constellation' to deliver broadband connectivity in remote locations where high-speed internet has traditionally been too expensive, unreliable or entirely unavailable. It operates in over 160 countries, territories and markets.

Penrith Mountain Rescue Team worked alongside Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service to extract the casualty. Volunteers used a rope system to haul the casualty and stretcher up the steep bank, then carried them on the stretcher back to the road where they were transferred to an ambulance. The operation involved 27 team members and lasted three hours and 45 minutes.

The rescue demonstrates how mountain rescue teams are increasingly using technology to communicate with casualties and pinpoint their locations across remote and mountainous terrain in the Lake District, where conventional mobile networks are often unavailable.

How it is being reported

• Starlink used in hiker's emergency distress call to mountain rescue volunteersElon Musk's Starlink technology was tested on the Lake District fells recently as mountain rescue volunteers used the service to speak to a casualty.Cumberland News · 7 Nov, 08:00
• Starlink used in hiker's emergency distress call to mountain rescue volunteersElon Musk's Starlink technology was tested on the Lake District fells recently as mountain rescue volunteers used the service to speak to a casualty.NW Evening Mail · 7 Nov, 08:00
• Starlink used in hiker's emergency distress call to mountain rescue volunteersElon Musk's Starlink technology was tested on the Lake District fells recently as mountain rescue volunteers used the service to speak to a casualty.Westmorland Gazette · 7 Nov, 08:00
• Starlink used in hiker's emergency distress call to mountain rescue volunteersElon Musk's Starlink technology was tested on the Lake District fells recently as mountain rescue volunteers used the service to speak to a casualty.Whitehaven News · 7 Nov, 08:00

In this story: Penrith Mountain Rescue Team · Starlink · SpaceX · Elon Musk · Wetheral · Lake District · Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service · North West Ambulance Service

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log