COSPAS-SARSAT International Satellite Search and Rescue Support System

2024: Finalizing Search and Rescue Payload Tests

The Russian Space Systems Holding (RKS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) has completed flight tests of the search and rescue payload for the international satellite system COSPAS-SARSAT, installed on the Meteor-M spacecraft No. 2-3. This was reported to the RKS on February 12, 2024.

source = PKC

The Meteor-M hydrometeorological satellite for environmental monitoring of the Earth No. 2-3 was launched on June 27, 2023 from the Vostochny cosmodrome. The device, designed for monitoring the climate and environment, is also equipped with a rescue radio complex created in the RKS holding, which is used to receive and relay signals from emergency radio beams of the COSPAS-SARSAT system.

The tests involved a stand of ground equipment located on the territory of the central office of the RKS holding in Moscow. The stand consists of four antennas with a diameter of 3.5 m, a simulator of radio signals of radio beacons of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, and other equipment for measuring and receiving data. The equipment developed by RKS specialists provides testing of domestic on-board search and rescue equipment for the COSPAS-SARSAT system installed on Russian low-orbit, medium-orbit, geostationary vehicles and satellites in high-elliptical orbit.

Based on the results of testing, experts concluded that the tactical and technical characteristics of the search and rescue equipment at Meteor-M No. 2-3 comply with the requirements of the international COSPAS-SARSAT program, and it can be used for its intended purpose.

Template:Quote 'author = said Sergey BUKIN, chief designer of the direction of the on-board search and rescue equipment of the RKS.

2023: Certification of the emergency rescue radio station R-855S in the COSPAS-SARSAT system

JSC Yaroslavl Radio Plant"" (YARZ, part of the holding "Russian space systems State Corporation" Roskosmos") has completed certification in the international satellite search and rescue system COSPAS-SARSAT and launches into mass production. emergency rescue radio station R-855S This was reported to the RKS on September 6, 2023. More. here

2021

Aircraft radio complex of search and rescue with reverse data transmission channel

On September 30, 2021, the company Russian space systems"" (RKS, part of the State Corporation Roskosmos"") announced that its specialists had developed the next generation Airborne Radio Search and Rescue Complex (BRKS) for the mid-orbital Russian segment of the COSPAS-SARSAT international space system. Now the equipment will not only deliver to the rescue services of the world an operational information one about the exact location, planes sea vessels and people in distress, but also on this reverse channel communications will report that the signal has been received and assistance on the way.

The rescue radio complex developed in the RKS is installed on modernized navigation satellites systems. GLONASS In addition to the standard relay channel, which transmits to the COSPAS-SARSAT system from data the emergency radio, the radio complex received a reverse data transmission channel - an "acknowledgement" channel. Russian ground-based equipment will be able to transmit to the on-board equipment confirmation that the COSPAS-SARSAT system receives a radio signal equipped with GLONASS receiving navigation equipment.

The onboard radio complex will further provide the transmission of this confirmation in the data array of the standard navigation signal, which will be received by the activated emergency radio. So the system will let you know that the buoy signal is "heard" by the COSPAS-SARSAT system, and help is on the way. Such feedback will help maintain the active psycho-emotional state of those in distress and reduce the likelihood of rash actions and destructive panic.

"As responsible for industry standards in the creation of equipment, we focused on the unification of our solutions. This approach reduced the development time, reduced the number of components used, made it possible to use unified circuitry solutions for installing our equipment on various space platforms, "- says Sergey Bukin, chief designer of the direction of the on-board search and rescue equipment of the RKS.

Unlike satellites in low orbit, a relatively small number of which inevitably create blind spots and long-term ones in the COSPAS-SARSAT system (in some cases up to 2-3 hours) delay in data transmission to search and rescue services, the distance of satellites from the Earth at a distance of 20 thousand kilometers and the multiplicity of the constellation allows the new average orbital component COSPAS-SARSAT to cover and continuously receive signals from all over the Earth in real time.

The international satellite search and rescue system COSPAS-SARSAT has been helping to save human lives for almost 40 years. Since the launch in 1982 of the first satellite with search and rescue equipment for the development of RKS using this system, more than 50 thousand people have been rescued throughout the planet.

Launch of integration with GLONASS

On August 25, 2021, the Holding, "Russian Space Systems "(RKS part of the State Corporation" Roskosmos") announced that it had launched the process integration of medium-orbital satellite grouping GLONASS into the international space system COSPAS-SARSAT. Medium-orbital navigation spacecraft will be supplemented by on-board search and rescue equipment and will begin to help search and rescue services of various countries more efficiently respond to distress signals to save human lives. To the earth

As of August 2021, ground and space equipment using the resources of low-orbit and geostationary satellites is successfully operating in the Russian segment of COSPAS-SARSAT. But the responsiveness of the "low-wing" to the alarm is limited by the number of spacecraft and the radius of the radio visibility zone, and the "geostationaries" are deprived of the technical ability to independently determine the coordinates of the disaster.

The evolution of the COSPAS-SARSAT system encourages the transition to the use of medium orbital spacecraft with equipment for relaying alarms on board. A satellite in medium orbit provides the continuity of receiving a signal from an emergency radio on a ship, plane or in the hands of a person, transmits it more quickly to search and rescue services. Orbits with an altitude of about 20 thousand kilometers expand the viewing area, allow you to receive a distress signal from incomparably large areas. This solution, together with 2nd generation radios, brings the international search and rescue system to a different level of efficiency, said Andrey FEDOSEEV, chief designer for search and rescue systems of RKS.

The mid-orbital segment will include onboard devices on GLONASS satellites, ground-based information reception and processing stations and service infrastructure in Russia.

We have completed the modernization of onboard search and rescue equipment for promising satellites of the GLONASS system. The equipment received an updated reverse communications - acknowledgement channel, which allows you to inform the person in distress that his alarm has been "heard." Such "feedback" will preserve his active psycho-emotional state, help to avoid rash actions and panic, marked chief designer of the direction of on-board search and rescue equipment RKS Sergey BUKIN.

The transition to satellites in medium orbit required RKS specialists to have different approaches to creating ground stations: each will be equipped with active phased antenna arrays (AFAR) to receive a signal from 12 spacecraft at the same time. The stations will be able to process emergency radio beeps relayed by satellites of the GLONASS, GPS, Galileo and BeiDou navigation systems.

Three navigation satellites of the GLONASS system with on-board equipment for relaying COSPAS-SARSAT radio beams have already been launched into medium orbit in August 2021. In the near future it is planned to start operating this equipment. As a result, the project will ensure Russia maintains parity with the leading participating countries of this international humanitarian space program.

The COSPAS-SARSAT international satellite system has been saving human lives for almost 40 years. Since the launch of the first satellite with search and rescue equipment in 1982, more than 50 thousand people have been rescued throughout the planet.

2017: Real-time tracking of distress signals

The COSPAS-SARSAT International Satellite Support System for Search and Rescue Operations allows real-time tracking of distress signals of ship, aircraft and personal emergency beacons, determining their geographical coordinates and instantly informing search and rescue services and responsible coordination centers about emergencies. The system annually saves hundreds of lives and in many countries is an integral part of the national search and rescue infrastructure.

The key objective of the project is to ensure maximum survival in the far sea and hard-to-reach land areas, where there is often no connection, and timely reporting of emergencies is extremely difficult.

The COSPAS-SARSAT project was founded by four countries - parties to the Agreement on the International Program (Russia, Canada, France and the USA). The system unites dozens of countries. Access to it is open, and use is free of charge for those in distress.

For the operation of the system, a group of more than 30 low and medium orbital, as well as geostationary spacecraft equipped with equipment for processing and relaying emergency beacon signals at a frequency of 406 MHz is used. Worldwide, 1.7 million radio beams are used, the signal from which is received by satellites of the orbital grouping. Information is reset to ground stations, and through them it enters the special coordination centers of the system.

Cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and other intergovernmental institutions allows us to expand the fleet of spacecraft and develop the capabilities of the project in accurate accordance with the needs, standards and recommendations of users from different countries.

On June 30, 1982, the KOSPAS-1 spacecraft was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome - the first spacecraft of the global international space search and rescue system for ships and aircraft KOSPAS-SARSAT.

Alexander ROMANOV, chief designer of RKS search and rescue systems: "The COSPAS-SARSAT system equipment developed in the RKS is installed on the sides of the Electro-L and No. 2 Earth remote sensing spacecraft, two spacecraft of the system,GLONASS" and it is planned to be placed on board the Meteor-M spacecraft No. 2-1 and No. 2-2. Sets of new generation equipment are planned to be installed on Meteor-M devices No. 2-3 and No. 2-4. "

Promising equipment of the system in the future will also be placed on several new Russian satellites. Work continues on the creation of the latest complex of ground facilities with improved characteristics to replace the equipment of the previous generation.