International Cospas-Sarsat Programme
The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is a satellite-aided search and rescue (SAR) initiative. It is organized as a treaty-based, nonprofit, intergovernmental, humanitarian cooperative of 45 nations and agencies (see infobox). It is dedicated to detecting and locating emergency locator radio beacons activated by persons, aircraft or vessels in distress, and forwarding this alert information to authorities that can take action for rescue.[2][3][4]
The system utilizes a network of about 47 satellites with automated radio receivers that can detect emergency radio beacons anywhere on Earth transmitting on the Cospas distress frequency of 406 MHz. The system determines the location of the beacon and rapidly alerts the appropriate local search and rescue organizations, which perform the rescue operation. Distress alerts are detected, located and forwarded to over 200 countries and territories at no cost to beacon owners or the receiving government agencies.[5] Cospas-Sarsat was conceived and initiated by Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union in 1979.[6] The first rescue using the technology of Cospas-Sarsat occurred in September 1982.[7][8] The definitive agreement of the organization was signed on 1 July 1988.
Cospas-Sarsat is best known as the system that detects and locates emergency beacons activated by aircraft, ships and people engaged in recreational activities in remote areas, and then sends these distress alerts to search-and-rescue (SAR) authorities. Distress beacons capable of being detected by the Cospas-Sarsat System (currently 406-MHz beacons) are available from several manufacturers and vendor chains. Cospas-Sarsat does not make or sell beacons.
Between September 1982 and December 2020 the Cospas-Sarsat System provided assistance in rescuing at least 53,790 people in 16,514 SAR events. In 2018, 2019 and 2020 (the latest year for which statistics have been compiled), Cospas-Sarsat assistance included the following:[9]
These statistics under-count the number of events where Cospas-Sarsat assisted, because they only include cases when an accurate report from SAR personnel is provided back through reporting channels to the Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat.
Cospas-Sarsat does not undertake search-and-rescue operations. This is the responsibility of national administrations that have accepted responsibility for SAR in various geographic regions of the world (typically the same geographic area as their flight information region). Cospas-Sarsat provides alert data to those authorities.
