Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracked
International cooperation program with the United States, Canada, France
and since 1979 the CIS
which made its Cospas system compatible.
Mission: search and rescue of persons and boats in distress. The service
started on 1 Sep 1982. In 1995 28 earth stations and 15 control centers in 16
countries were operational.
The system uses reception beacons operating at 121.5 MHz, 243 MHz and at 406
MHz. When a distress signal is received 1544.5 MHz can be heard. Polar orbiting
satellites can detect and localize beacons whereas geostationary satellites
can't localize them. Thus beacons to work with geostationary birds have to
include a
GPS
receptor.
Satellites carrying a Sarsat-Cospas payload
83082
NOAA 08
(EOL)
84123
NOAA 09
87022
Goes 07
88089
NOAA 11
89050
Nadezhda 1
90017
Nadezhda 2
91019
Nadezhda 3
92041
Insat 2A
93048
Insat 2B
94022
Goes 08
94041
Nadezhda 4
94082
Luch 0
94089
NOAA 14
95025
Goes 09
98030
NOAA 15
98072
Nadezhda 5
External resources
http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/overview/sumystat.htm
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/SARSAT/homepage.html
Ref: #15 - update: 24.10.04