Coast Guard Cheong Mid-Orbit Distress System Approved by International Organization...Improved Location Accuracy

The Korea Coast Guard announced on the 9th that the satellite distress system, which was switched from low Earth orbit satellites to medium Earth orbit satellites in February, has received approval from an international organization.

After about a year of performance testing of the medium Earth orbit satellites, the Coast Guard received full integration approval last month from the international organization COSPAS-SARSAT.

COSPAS-SARSAT is an international organization that supports search and rescue operations by detecting distress beacons and providing location information using satellites and ground facilities.

Medium Earth Orbit Satellite Distress System Operation Framework [Provided by the Korea Coast Guard]

The Coast Guard has operated a distress system using low Earth orbit satellites for about 30 years, but since it took one hour to calculate the location and the location error radius was up to 5 km, it has been promoting the transition to a medium Earth orbit satellite distress system. The medium Earth orbit satellite distress system can detect distress signals in real time and has a location error within a few meters, making it highly accurate.

Baek Hak-seon, Director of the Equipment Technology Bureau, said, “With the full integration of the medium Earth orbit satellite distress system into the international organization, real-time detection of distress signals and location accuracy have improved, and the humanitarian provision of distress alerts will also contribute to the international community.”