UN/USA Training Course: Satellite Aided SAR 1Source: CNES – D. Ducros

InternationalCospas-SarsatProgramme :

From operations to MEOSAR prospects

Presented by Jean-Charles CORNILLOU MRCC Corsen director with the help of Michel MARGERY (CNES) & Alex GENICOT (FMCC)

CospasCospas--Sarsat Programme: Sarsat Programme: From operations to MEOSAR From operations to MEOSAR

prospectsprospects• Cospas-Sarsat Programme Introduction

– Mission Statement– Programme Environment

• System Status and Operations– Current Space and Ground Segments– Beacon Population and SAR Events

• Future Prospects– MEOSAR– Second Generation Beacons

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CospasCospas--Sarsat ProgrammeSarsat Programme

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COSPAS: Kосмическая СистемаПоиска АварийныхСудов (Cosmicheskaya Systyema Poiska Avariynyich Sudov )

SARSAT = Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking

CospasCospas--SarsatSarsat

Mission StatementMission StatementThe International Cospas-Sarsat Programme provides accurate, timely and reliable distress alert and location data to help search and rescue authorities assist persons in distress.

ObjectiveObjectiveThe objective of the Cospas-Sarsat system is to reduce, as far as possible, delays in the provision of distress alerts to SAR services, and the time required to locate a distress and provide assistance, which have a direct impact on the probability of survival of the person in distress at sea or on land.

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The CospasThe Cospas--Sarsat Sarsat EnvironmentEnvironment

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Cospas-Sarsat

Space and Ground SegmentsElectrical Performance Spec. of beacons – Type Approval

Standards

ICAO / IMO / ITU National Regulatory AuthoritiesPolicies on SARSpecifications / Installation &Carriage requirements

SAR Organisation(Aeronautical/Maritime)

ICAO/IMO JWG on Harmonization of SAR

SAR procedures / coordination

Beacon Manufacturers

ELT/EPIRB/PLB Design, Production,

Sale, Servicing

RCCsSAR Services

Beacon Owners / Users

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CospasCospas--Sarsat ProgrammeSarsat Programme

Project started in 1979 with two objectives: Provide Doppler location for 121.5 MHz ELTs, Demonstrate new 406 MHz technology.

First launch (Cospas-1) 30 June 1982

First rescue 10 September 1982

LEOSAR satellite system operational in 1985.

GEOSAR satellite system operational in 1998.

Satellite processing of 121.5 MHz terminated in 2009.

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CospasCospas--Sarsat ProgrammeSarsat Programme

Cospas-Sarsat ParticipantsAlgeria

ArgentinaAustralia

BrazilCanada

ChileChina (P.R.)

CyprusDenmarkFinlandFrance

GermanyGreece

Hong KongIndia

IndonesiaItalyITDC

JapanKorea (R. of)Madagascar

NetherlandsNew Zealand

Nigeria NorwayPakistan

PeruPolandRussia

Saudi ArabiaSerbia

SingaporeSouth Africa

SpainSweden

SwitzerlandThailandTunisiaTurkey

UAEUK

USAVietnam

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Space SegmentSpace Segment

2 Types of Satellites

• Low Earth Orbiting SearchAnd Rescue (LEOSAR)

• Geostationary Earth Orbiting Search And Rescue (GEOSAR)

High AltitudeGeostationary

Orbit

Low Altitude EarthOrbit

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Combined LEO/GEO SystemCombined LEO/GEO System

The Cospas-Sarsat system combines the benefits of its LEO and GEO components:

– Global LEOSAR coverage– Real-time GEOSAR alerting– Independent LEOSAR

Doppler positioning capability

– Highly accurate GNSS positioning (some beacons only)

– High probability of LEO detection even when GEO blocked

– High system capacity

COSPASSARSAT

GOES INSAT

MSG

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System StatusSystem Status

Space Segment: - 6 LEO satellites- 5 GEO satellites + 3 spares

Ground Segment: - 57 LEOLUTs- 21 GEOLUTs- 30 Mission Control Centres

Distress Beacons: - 1 million (406 MHz beacons)- about 30 active manufacturers

Operations (2009): - > 1,500 persons rescued with CS data- > 475 SAR events

Beacon PopulationBeacon Population

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Estimated Beacon Population at the end of 2009

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100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Nu

mb

er o

f B

eaco

ns

EPIRB population PLB population ELT population 406 MHz population (All)

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System OperationsSystem Operations

Since September 1982, Cospas-Sarsat data helped rescue more than 28,000 persons in about 7,750 SAR events.

2009

AS13

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2009 Alert Locations2009 Alert Locations

SAR Events: 482Rescued: 1,577

Future Prospects : Future Prospects : MEOSARMEOSAR

Medium Earth Orbit Search And RescueMEOSAR system:

– New Space Segment: 406 MHz repeaters on Glonass, Galileo and GPS constellations

– New Ground Segment required for global coverage

– Backward compatibility / interoperability with existing 406 MHz beacons and enhanced performance.

– Second generation 406 MHz beacons for further performance enhancement and new functionalities (return link service)

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MEOSAR system

1513/05/2011

MEOSAR IMPROVEMENT:Quickly calculate the position of a distress beacon by processing the signal repeated by multiple satellites in medium earth orbit (20,000 km).

From LEOSAR From LEOSAR …… … to MEOSAR

RLSP

MEOLUTs network

406 MHzDistress Signal

406 MHz distress beacon

(Equipped with GNSS receiver)

L-Band downlink

Leolut or Geolut

Cospas-SarsatMCC

Cospas-Sarsat Nodal MCC

406 MHzDistress Signal

DASS Constellation(Equipped with SAR repeaters)

GALILEO Control Centre

GALILEO Constellation(Equipped with SAR repeaters)

GALILEO uplink Station

Uplink (SAR acknowledgment)

SAR acknowledgment

With the Galileo return link

MEOSAR System ConceptMEOSAR System Concept

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GMS : Ground Mission Segment

ULS : Up-Link Station(s)

GALILEO

GalileoGMS / ULS

1544.9 MHzRHCP

RCC

Rescue

1544.1 MHzLHCP

1544.9 MHzRHCP

Return Link Service Provider

GPS-IIIGLONASS-K

406 MHz Distress Beacon

MEOLUT / MCC

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Why MEOSAR ?

LEOSAR:LEOSAR:

GEOSAR:GEOSAR:

CurrentCurrentSystem:System:

• Can detect low powered beacons• Polar coverage • Wait time (minutes to hours dependent on location and terrain)• SARP on-board processing: structure of beacon message,

coding methods are fixed

• Near-real-time detection• Limited coverage beyond 70ºN and 70ºS• Fixed geometry: beacon to satellite (blockage)• No Doppler independent location

• Limited options for possible evolution of 406 MHz beaconsignal and technology

• No central / coordinated management of operations, thereforeSystem evolution to meet new requirements is slow

Why MEOSAR ?Why MEOSAR ?

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Improve speed and reliability of detecting and locating 406 MHz distress alerts (near-real-time): Can locate beacons on single burst : First Burst Detection and Location Continuous detection and location Independent location accuracy improves in time

Moving beacons can be tracked: on life raft adrift at sea on aircraft in emergency in flight (before a crash)

No Doppler mirror image location generated

Additional features e.g. Return Link Service, cancellation of false alerts

Possibly improve beacon performance and affordability

High level of satellite redundancy and availability

Tentative MEOSAR Time LineTentative MEOSAR Time Line

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2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

FOC

MEOSpace Segment

New Beacon Segment

G. S. Spec. Develop.Development of Ground Segment Specifications and Data Distribution 

ProceduresG. S. Commissioning

D&E Planning D&E

Beacon Specification

Beacon Development

Beacon Requirements & Design Studies

Pre‐IOCPre‐IOC use of MEOdata, parallel to LEO‐GEO data distribution and 

limited to available coverage areasIOC

Operational use of MEOdata in available coverage area using:‐ commissioned Space and Ground Segment Equipment, and‐ integrated LEO/GEO/MEOdata distribution procedure

MEOGround Segment

Highlights of New Operational Highlights of New Operational Requirements for BeaconsRequirements for Beacons

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Minimum Operational Requirements (ELTs, EPIRBs and PLBs)

First burst transmission after 3 sec. to allow independent location determination: 5 km with [90]% probability

Higher repetition rate to allow for enhanced performance during first30 sec. of transmission (ensure 99.9 % detection, 95% location < 5 km)

Independent location accuracy to improve with time (1 km/95% within 5 minutes, 100 m/95% within 30 minutes)

Self test

Cancellation function of false alerts by user

Verification of beacon registration

Homing and on-scene locating

Highlights of New Operational Highlights of New Operational Requirements for BeaconsRequirements for Beacons

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Objective Operational Requirements (NOT applicable to all beacons)

High resolution (30m) 2xD encoded GNSS location data in beacon message with date/time of encoded data

Altitude of aircraft encoded with GNSS location (50m)

Automatic ELT activation on indication of emergency (prior to crash)

Return link capability for acknowledgement of alert and other services

Battery status indicator

Additional bits for expanded message content

QUESTION?