S A R S A T Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking

-Welcome to SARSAT 101  Beacons  Ground Stations (LUTs)  Mission Control Centers (MCCs)  Rescue Coordinations Centers (RCCs)  MHz Phaseout, Carriage Reqs, The Future  The Bottom Line Overview

COSPAS =Cosmicheskaya Systyema Poiska Aariynyich Sudov Which loosely translates into: “The Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress” SARSAT =Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking What is Cospas-Sarsat??? In short, Cospas-Sarsat takes the “search” out of Search & Rescue

NOAA’s SARSAT Program protects life and property by providing accurate, timely, and reliable distress alert and location information to search and rescue authorities. The SARSAT Mission…

Emergency Beacons Two types: 121.5/243 MHz and 406 MHz Three applications: -Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRB) for Maritime Uses -Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) for Aviation Uses - Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) for Remote Area Recreational Uses - NOW AVAILABLE!!!

121.5 MHz Beacons Older technology Not designed for satellite processing (no store & forward capability) Analog signal only = no identification code Does not have global coverage! Low power ( < 1 watt) Less rigid standards Poor location accuracy = Usually no better than 12 miles USMCC handles ‘hits’ per day. 99.9% are false!! -Only 1 in 8 alerts come from beacons. The rest are ATM machines, pizza ovens, and even stadium scoreboards! -High false alert rate makes first-alert launch unfeasible…

121.5/243 MHz Coverage “Holes”

243 MHz Beacons Similar to MHz beacons Primarily used by the military Many existing MHz also transmit on 243 MHz

406 MHz Beacons Newer technology Designed for satellite processing (store & forward) Global coverage Digital signal Increased power (5 watt) Unique Identification Rigid specifications More Accurate = mile location accuracy. Even better with integral GPS units = 100 meter accuracy!

Beacons with Navigation (GPS) Input Improved location accuracy Instantaneous detection AND location! MHz 406 MHz 406 MHz with GPS Search Time = 12+ hours Search Time = hours Search Time = Minimal

2 Types of Satellites: Low Earth Orbiting Search And Rescue (LEOSAR) (8) Satellites in Orbit: -COSPAS 4, 9, 10 -SARSAT 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 Geostationary Orbiting Search And Rescue (GEOSAR) (4) Satellites in Orbit: -GOES 8 (West) -GOES 10 (East) -INSAT 3A -MSG Cospas-Sarsat Space Segment

121.5/243 MHz Beacon LEO Satellite LUT Detection of a 121.5/243 MHz beacon requires mutual visibility between beacon, satellite and ground station (LUT) 406 MHz Beacon LEO Satellite LUT 406 MHz beacon detections can be stored on board the satellite and re-broadcast later

LEOSAR Local User Terminals (LEOLUT) Track COSPAS and SARSAT satellites Recover beacon signals Perform error checking Perform Doppler processing Send alert to Mission Control Center Cospas-Sarsat Ground Stations

42 LEOLUT Locations Worldwide

Maryland Florida Texas AlaskaHawaii United States LEOLUTs Guam California (Deployable LUT)

GEOSAR Local User Terminals (GEOLUT) Track GOES and INSAT satellites Recover beacon signals Perform error checking Send alert to Mission Control Center

9 GEOLUT Locations Worldwide GOES-W (135°W) GOES-E (75°W) INSAT-3A (95.5°E) MSG (0°) Wellington– New Zealand Bangalore- India Santiago- Chile Maspalomas- Spain Trenton- Canada Combe Martin- UK Eizeiza – Argentina Toulouse- France Brasilia- Brazil

Mission Control Centers (MCC) Receive alerts from national LUTs and foreign MCCs. Validate, match and merge alerts to improve location accuracy and determine the correct destination. Query 406 MHz Registration Database and transmit registration info with distress alert. Transmit alerts to Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) and SAR Points of Contact (SPOC) and filter redundant data. All USMCC functions are handled automatically…no manual intervention. 24 x 7 x 365 operational center

Mission Control Centers (MCC) – 24 Locations

Handle /243 alerts/day Handle MHz alerts/day Transmit 1200 messages/day Schedule and ingest data from 500 satellite passes/day Register 50 new beacons/day Update 60 beacon registrations/day Confirm 300 beacon registrations/week Enter 35 incident feedback reports/day Activity The United States Mission Control Center Suitland, MD

JAMCC USMCC AUMCCCMC FMCC CMCCCHMCCPEMCCBRMCC KOMCC HKMCC NMCC UKMCC ITMCC SPMCC PAMCCINMCC ALMCC TAMCC CNMCC SIMCCIDMCC Nodal Network SAMCCZAMCC

USMCC 23 MCCs 14 LUTs 14 RCCs 7 SPOCs Special Programs Spacecraft Telemetry & Ephemeris Data Communication Sites

- Receive SARSAT Distress Alerts from the USMCC - Coordinate the Rescue Response U.S. Coast Guard * Responsible for all Maritime Alerts * U.S. Air Force * Responsible for all Inland Alerts *

North America Rescue Coordination Centers & their Areas of Responsibility (AOR’s) RCC ALAMEDA RCC SEATTLE RCC JUNEAU RCC NORFOLK RCC HONOLULU (CG / PACOM) RSC SAN JUAN RCC MIAMI RCC BOSTON RCC VICTORIA RCC NEW ORLEANS RCC CLEVELAND AFRCC LANGLEY AKRCC ELMENDORF U.S. DOD RCC’s CANADIAN RCC’s COLOR KEY: USCG RCC’s RCC HALIFAX RCC TRENTON

United States Cospas-Sarsat Program Administration Inland SAR Maritime SAR Research & Development System Operation Representative to Cospas-Sarsat Program

NOAA/SARSAT Organizational Structure National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution (OSDPD) Direct Services Division (DSD) SARSAT Program Office & the U.S. Mission Control Center (USMCC) Suitland Federal Center, Suitland MD

National Search And Rescue Committee DOC DOD DOI NASA SARSAT Lead, Satellite Services (NOAA) Inland SAR Lead (USAF & DPMO) Regulations for Radio Facilities & Frequency Issues SAR Services ( Nat’l Park Service) Research and Development SAR Lead/Regs FAA Regulations USCG DHS

International Organization Initially developed under interagency Memorandum of Agreement signed in 1979 International Cospas-Sarsat Programme Agreement signed on July 1, 1988 among the governments of Canada, France, the former U.S.S.R and the United States Association with Programme allows States to contribute towards the ground segment or participate in international Cospas-Sarsat meetings Goals of Cospas-Sarsat are to support SAR objectives of ICAO and IMO. Therefore, C-S maintains a close partnership with these U.N. agencies and the ITU

International Maritime Organization UN specialized agency responsible for improving maritime safety (Mandates use of emergency beacons) International Civil Aviation Organization UN specialized agency responsible for aviation matters and improving civil aviation safety (Mandates use of 406 MHz beacons) International Telecommunications Union UN specialized agency responsible for coordinating global telecommunications (406 MHz beacon specifications)

Program Management Cospas-Sarsat Council System Operation Joint Committee Administrative Organ Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat Operational Working Group Technical Working Group

35 Member Nations & 2 SAR Organizations Officially Participate in Cospas-Sarsat

AlgeriaArgentinaAustralia AlgeriaArgentinaAustralia BrazilCanadaChile China (P.R. of) Denmark France GermanyGreeceIndia IndonesiaItalyJapan Korea (Rep. of) MadagascarNetherlands (The) New ZealandNigeriaNorway PakistanPeruRussia Saudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth Africa SpainSwedenSwitzerland ThailandTunisiaUnited Kingdom VietnamUSA The International Telecommunication Development Corporation (ITDC) The Marine Department of Hong Kong, China Member Nations Participating Organizations

*** 121.5/243 MHz PHASE-OUT DECISION *** International Cospas-Sarsat Council (in conjuction with IMO/ICAO) announces the Termination of MHz Satellite Alerting on 01 February 2009 at its 25 th General Session (October 2000)

*** 121.5/243 MHz PHASE-OUT DECISION *** So, what does this mean to you and that old MHz EPIRB of yours???... Again, here are the reasons why this decision was made: Coverage – Global vs Local False Alerts Identification Accuracy Alerting

All vessels 300 gross tons or greater (SOLAS) Vessels engaged in transporting 6 or more persons *** In the U.S. all Commerical Fishing Vessels *** All vessels in Hawaiian waters operating beyond 1 nmi of shore shall carry a 406 MHz EPIRB or DSC-VHF Radio (State legislature passed law in May, Effective Jan 1 st, 2004) FCC/USCG 406 MHz Vessel Carriage Requirements …it becomes “illegal for use” on Jan 1 st, 2007!!! This is a new regulation under the recently issued FCC Title 47, Part 80 rules (August, 2003) Can no longer purchase a MHz EPIRB as of Feb 1 st, 2003

The Future of Cospas-Sarsat… The Distress Alerting Satellite System 406 MHz “bent-pipe” repeaters on future GPS satellites Full compatibility with existing + future 406 MHz beacons Continued global detection and location: – Greater than current Cospas-Sarsat accuracy Alert data downlink will continue to be freely available internationally Possible two-way return link GPS Satellite

2002 COSPAS-SARSAT Rescues 1,545 persons rescued in 365 SAR events worldwide maritime rescues in 239 SAR events - 83 aviation rescues in 47 SAR events land rescues in 79 SAR events 2002 U.S. SARSAT Rescues 171 persons rescued in 69 SAR events nationwide maritime rescues in 64 SAR events - 11 aviation rescues in 5 SAR events - 27 land rescues in 18 SAR events Since 1982 over 15,000 lives rescued via Cospas-Sarsat! Nearly 5,000 in U.S. AOR’s alone! The Bottom Line…

Worldwide Distribution of C-S Aided Rescues in 2002 The Bottom Line…

FOR MORE INFO… NOAA/SARSAT E/SP3, FB4, Room Auth Road Suitland, MD Or SAVE (7283) Fax: Visit Our Website: Any Questions???