March 2025, a group of French nationals led by a high-mountain guide got endangered in the Norwegian back country.

They immediately activated their FastFind Return Link Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), signalling a need for help at 09.49.14.

No less than 6 Galileo satellites reacted almost immediately – turning their SOS into the launch of a rescue operation in less than one minute!

Speed was of the essence, as avalanches were spotted in the area, presenting an additional threat to the hikers.

Vital information was exchanged between the French Mission Control Centre and the Norwegian Rescue service in Stavanger, thanks to the Galileo Ground Segment. Once more, international cooperation and coordination led to a successful rescue – in just one hour!

The state-of-the-art technology of the Galileo/SAR service, combined with a good preparation of the hikers and the necessary registration of personal information in their beacon allowed the Norwegian Rescuers to react immediately.

This is also a source of inspiration for the colleagues working on future developments of the Galileo Search And Rescue service.