2.1 History and Background
The Cospas-Sarsat satellite system for the support of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations was initially developed under a Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 1979 among Agencies of Canada, France, the USA, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Following the successful completion of a demonstration and evaluation phase that started in September 1982, a second Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 5 October 1984 by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) of France, the Department of National Defence (DND) of Canada, the Ministry of Merchant Marine (MORFLOT) of the former USSR, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the USA. The System was declared operational in 1985.
Even during
the Demonstration and Evaluation phase, the Cospas-Sarsat System had an
immediate impact: the newspaper clippings in Figure
2‑1 show the reactions after the first rescue that
was guided by the System.
Figure 2‑1: Newspaper Headlines
This collection of clippings from newspapers published after the first
Cospas-Sarsat rescue shows some of the impact of the System on the world.
On 1 July 1988, these same four States (who were providing the space segment for the System) signed the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme Agreement (the ICSPA, document C/S P.001). This document ensures the continuity of the System and guarantees its availability to all States on a non-discriminatory basis. In January 1992, the government of the Russian Federation assumed responsibility for the obligations of the former Soviet Union. As was foreseen in the Agreement, a number of States who are not Parties to the Agreement have also associated themselves with the Programme.
A comprehensive history of the Programme is available in the book, “The History and Experience of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme for Satellite-Aided Search and Rescue”, written by Daniel Lévesque (the first Head of the Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat) and published in 2017 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). A .pdf version of this book is also available on the Cospas-Sarsat website.