The findings of the mission, which was primarily tasked with watching changes in vegetation across the planet, could pave the way for a more accurate air traffic control system.

Since launching in 2013, the probe has picked up over 25 million positions from more than 15,000 individual aircraft. Though the teams are still in the process of corroborating the findings with ground-based recordings, the successful detections serve as a proof of concept, demonstrating the feasibility of using orbital satellite constellations for operational aircraft monitoring.

The detections were made possible by a receivers placed aboard the satellite by DLR and SES TechCom, designed to pick up signals from aircraft carrying Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment, which is expected to become a requirement for all aircraft operating in European airspace.