> These orbiting internet nodes fly closer to Earth’s surface than the satellites in the government-run global navigation systems, such as the U.S. Department of Defense’s GPS, the European Union’s Galileo, China’s BeiDou, or Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System. Because militaries operate many of the systems, the signals can be targets for jamming or scrambling—spurring researchers to look for alternatives.

> Because the satellites of internet megaconstellations fly so much closer to Earth than those used in traditional GPS, their signals can be thousands of times stronger. This could make them easier to pick up in dense jungle environments where GPS sometimes struggles to determine position, Langley suggests. The brighter signals might also allow for better data collection of animals outfitted with tracking collars, he adds.