Possibility and Effectiveness of Including the Geostationary Segment into the Middle Earth Orbit Segment of the COSPAS–SARSAT System

Abstract

. This article describes necessity of having frequency measurements obtained through at least six satellites to locate slow moving beacons (velocity < 5 m/s) with the required accuracy in the middle Earth orbit segment of COSPAS–SARSAT. Possibility of adding two geostationary channels to the Middle Earth Orbit Location User Terminal (MEOLUT) with four antennas to achieve the required accuracy for slow moving beacons is shown. The necessary revision of hardware and software are described, the results of the mathematical simulation of the coverage area of the resulting LUT with six antennas are provided.