Improved COSPAS-SARSAT locating with geostationary satellite data

The COSPAS-SARSAT system locates distress beacons via Doppler analysis of beacon transmissions as observed by low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. By contrast, the 406 MHz search and rescue transponder on the geostationary satellites can measure only the transmitted frequency of the beacon, which is not currently being used in location determination. This report shows that a combined data approach can significantly improve the locating success rate, the time delay to the first solution, and the accuracy of location estimates.