The plane’s disappearance has been a persistent enigma for the family members and loved ones of the 12 crew and 227 passengers who were on board.
In January 2017, the transport ministers of Malaysia, China, and Australia issued a joint statement announcing the suspension of the underwater search for the plane. However, new hope has emerged through transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts.
Anthony Loke, the Malaysian transport minister, stated that the upcoming search will focus on a new seabed area covering approximately 5,800 square miles.
Ocean Infinity, an underwater exploration company, is preparing to resume the search using a new research technique called Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) transmissions.
These transmissions, pronounced ‘whisper’, are used by amateur radio enthusiasts to send and receive low-power signals, testing the capabilities and reach of their antennas.
WSPR transmitters send thousands of low-power radio pulses globally every two minutes. It is believed that these signals are disrupted if an aircraft crosses them.
Richard Godfrey, a retired aerospace engineer, has suggested that analyzing historical data from these transmitters could help trace where the Malaysia Airlines plane went after disappearing from radar.
In an interview with The Telegraph, where the signals were called ‘ghost radio signals’, Godfrey mentioned his analysis, which led him to identify a search radius of less than 20 miles, approximately 1,000 miles west of Perth, Australia.
This area is included in Ocean Infinity’s new search region, which will integrate other research methods as well.
However, there is skepticism regarding the WSPR theory from Prof Joseph Taylor of Princeton University, who developed the transmitters. Prof Taylor believes the historical data might not be very useful for tracking aircraft, though some experts are optimistic about its potential.
Prof Simon Maskell, a computer engineer advising Ocean Infinity, commented, “The important question is whether all of this analysis usefully reduces the search area. As soon as you can definitely say the plane couldn’t have headed north or it couldn’t have gone this far south you have narrowed things down and that is useful.”
Oliver Plunkett, Ocean Infinity’s chief executive, expressed enthusiasm about the decision to resume the search, calling it ‘great news’.
“We look forward to sharing further updates in the new year once we’ve finalized the details and the team gets ready to go,” he stated.