Galileo Search and Rescue Service to support the Vendée Globe sailing race

As the Vendée Globe 2024 sets sail, EUSPA announced that the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service has reached Full Operational Capability (FOC), enhancing global search and rescue efforts.

Search and rescue operations involve locating and helping people in distress. One of those people is Kevin Escoffier, a skipper who participated in the Vendée Globe, the non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race that takes place every four years.

During the 2020 edition, Escoffier was in third place and gaining ground. But, as he was approaching the Cape of Good Hope, disaster struck without warning, his boat snapped into two.

Luckily, Escoffier was carrying a small personal emergency beacon in his pocket - which turned out to be a lifesaver. That's because, once activated, that beacon established a link with GNSS satellites, which then relayed his precise positioning to emergency authorities, thus enabling the search and rescue mission that ultimately resulted in the sailor's safe return.

A harrowing story for sure, but also an important reminder for the sailors competing in this year's Vendée Globe on the importance of equipping themselves with appropriate emergency beacons. "As this year's race sets sail, participants can rest assured that they have the full support of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service at their disposal," says EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

Fully integrated into the global COSPAS-SARSAT distress alert detection system

Having reached Full Operational Capability, the Galileo SAR service is now fully integrated into the COSPAS-SARSAT system, an international satellite-based SAR distress alert detection and information distribution system.

The system uses Medium-altitude Earth Orbit SAR (MEOSAR) satellites, and the Galileo SAR FOC service conforms to the C/S standards applicable to MEOSAR Initial Operational Capability.

The search and rescue transponder on Galileo satellites can pick up signals emitted from distress beacons in the 406 - 406.1 MHz band and, through the Forward Link Service, broadcasts this information to dedicated ground stations (MEOLUTs) in the 'L' band (1544.71 MHz). Once these signals are detected and the beacons located by the MEOLUTs, COSPAS-SARSAT Mission Control Centres receive the beacon location information, which it then distributes to the relevant rescue centres and competent authorities worldwide. Meanwhile, the Galileo Return Link (RLS) sends a message back to the distress beacon, confirming that emergency first responders have received the signal and established the location, thereby reassuring the sender.

With the full contribution of the Galileo SAR, it is estimated that the COSPAS-SARSAT will save more than 3,000 lives a year.

An expanded ground segment

Numerous upgrades and improvements were achieved in the leadup to FOC, including an expanded ground segment, with the addition of new ground station (MEOLUT) and 3 reference beacons (REFBE). For example, a service validation campaign confirmed the performance level of a fourth MEOLUT located on Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean, to monitor a nearly 20 million sq km area called the SAR/Galileo Indian Ocean Coverage Area (IOCA). It has been complemented by 2 dedicated REFBE respectively deployed on Réunion and Kerguelen Islands.

The MEOLUT, which is comprised of an active phased-array antenna consisting of 64 L-band receivers and associated processing components, simultaneously tracks several MEOSAR satellites. In doing so, it helps bring the Forward Link Service to the IOCA coverage area.

Another major development happened at the end of 2023 when the REFBE in Greenland became operational. The beacon, the eighth in the REFBE network, plays a pivotal role in monitoring the SAR service around the edges of the European coverage area. It also increases the resilience of the Galileo SAR service.

Read more:New site in Greenland to enhance Galileo SAR

Furthermore, the addition of a second Mission Control Centre interface with Spain on top of the existing one with France ensures the RLS continues to send its crucial acknowledgement signal back to SAR beacon users within minutes.

Many of these upgrades are included in advisory notices sent to SAR users. Called NASU (Notice Advisory to SAR/Galileo Users), these operational notifications include up-to-date information on the service's ground and space segments, planned and unplanned outages, relevant maintenance activities, testing news, and information about the commissioning and/or decommissioning of SAR elements or capabilities.

All these achievements are reflected in the new SAR Service Definition Document published for the Full Operational Capability milestone and available via the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) website.

"Offering global coverage at sea, in the mountains, across the desert and in urban areas, the Galileo SAR service continues to play an increasingly important role in helping operators respond to a distress signal faster and more efficiently," concludes da Costa.

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