Galileo's search and rescue system switched on

[Darren]

Galileo's search and rescue (SAR) system has been switched on. Partners in Galileo joined the MEOSAR (Medium Earth Orbit Search And Rescue) program and their satellites will supplement existing rescue services by carrying transponders that can determine the location of emergency beacons once triggered.

The second pair of ESA's Galileo satellites, launched in October last year, were the first to be equipped with the SAR repeater equipment that can pass on distress signals to local search and rescue services.

The system features two components, a 'Forward Link Alert Service' that will detect and pass on the location of activated emergency beacons to rescue services and, uniquely for a GPS satellite, a 'Return Link Service' that will send a message to the emergency beacon to confirm that the distress signal has been received.

Initial tests of the system have shown it to be working well, "At this stage, our main objective is to check the repeater has not been damaged by launch", explained ESA’s Galileo SAR engineer Igor Stojkovic.

Source: ESA

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Darren Griffin

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