ACR Electronics over the moon with ANGEL personal locator bacon on Artemis missions

April 3, 2026

ACR Electronics designed the ANGEL Personal Locator Beacon specifically for NASA credit:ACR Electronics

Safety and survival specialist ACR Electronics’ Personal Locator Beacon designed specifically for NASA is heading to the moon on the upcoming historic Artemis missions.

The Advanced Next-Generation Emergency Locator PLB, which ACR Electronics began developing for NASA back in 2017, is now fully approved by Cospas Sarsat and is set to launch on the Artemis II mission no earlier than April 1^st.

NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft will fly around the moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.

The ACR Electronics ANGEL Personal Locator Beacon will be attached to the four astronauts’ life preserver units. Following the approximately 10-day mission, the crew will endure the high-speed, high-temperature re-entry through our atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, where they will be met by a recovery team of NASA and Department of Defence personnel who will bring them back to shore. The ANGEL PLBs will provide rescuers with their exact location should they need to egress from the capsule upon splashdown.

ACR Electronics’ Advanced Next-Generation Emergency Locator (ANGEL) Personal Locator Beacon

ACR Electronics’ history with NASA goes back to 1970 when the ACR magnesium-powered penlight was standard equipment on all Apollo and Gemini missions. It was instrumental to the Apollo 13 crew as it provided the sole source of light inside the cabin as they struggled to get their capsule back to earth.

Celebrating its 70^th anniversary in 2026, ACR Electronics continues to keep our astronauts safe, along with saving countless mariners, aviators, hikers, and soldiers using the same technology found in the new ANGEL Personal Locator Beacon.

ACR is the leading manufacturer of maritime, aviation, outdoor, and government safety equipment specializing in Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs), Personal Locator Beacons, lifejacket strobe lights, electronic flares and more.