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COSPAS / SARSAT
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COSPAS / SARSAT
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This page contains philatelic information on the COSPAS / SARSAT program. Catalog numbers, years of issue, and notes on the satellites featured are given when available. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.
The SARSAT satellite system is operated by Canada, USA, and France, while the COSPAS system is operated by Russia. Thirty-two other nations also participate in the program. The two satellite systems work together, receiving signals from emergency radio beacons and relaying them to ground stations which process the signals and calculate the locations of the beacons. This allows search and rescue authorities to send rescue missions to those locations.
The necessary COSPAS/SARSAT receivers have been placed aboard various satellites:
Worldwide, over 20,000 persons have been rescued by the COSPAS/SARSAT system since 1982. Unlike the Argos Data Collection and Location System intended for environmental data and limited other use, SARSAT is designed specifically for the rescue of persons in distress. However, many of the system characteristics are similar, such as global coverage provided by the use of the same polar-orbiting weather satellites to collect and transfer the data to ground stations. Reference: http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/
| Launch covers, anniversary-of-launch covers, and launch-related event covers (farther below) |
Postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.) (immediately below) |
|---|---|
| COSPAS / SARSAT | COSPAS / SARSAT program |
Below is a list of Discoverer-series postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.).
| Country | Catalog Number* | Type of Item** | Year of Issue | Notes on Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COSPAS / SARSAT | ||||
| Cambodia | 782 (Mi860) | 1987 | Nadezhda satellite, COSPAS acronym | |
| Cambodia | 875 (BL160) | SS1 | 1988 | Nadezhda satellite, COSPAS acronym |
| Canada | 2111 (Mi2280-2283) | MS8 (2x 2111 (a-d)) | 2005 | NOAA and Nadezhda satellites |
| Canada | 2111a-d fdc | Strip of four stamps on FDC | ||
| Russia (USSR) | 5603 (BL196) | On stamps and in (upper) margin of SS1 | 1987 | NOAA and Nadezhda satellites, COSPAS/SARSAT acronyms |
| Russia (USSR) | None | Stamped envelope | 1987 | Nadezhda satellite, COSPAS acronym |
| Tonga | 785 (Mi1181-1183) | Strip of 3 (785 (a-c)) | 1991 | NOAA satellite, SARSAT |
*Scott catalog number, unless prefixed with Mi or BL for Michel.
**FDC = first day cover; SS# = souvenir sheet, MS# = miniature sheet, where # = number of stamps in sheet, and the numbers in parentheses are the catalog numbers of the stamps in the sheet.
Below is a list of COSPAS / SARSAT program on satellite launch covers.
| Country | Cancel Date | Cancel Location | Type of Item | Notes on Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COSPAS / SARSAT | ||||
| United States | 1983-03-28 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (2-color printed) cachet on cover | NOAA-8 launch, "international search and rescue" |
| United States | 1983-03-28 | Greenbelt MD | (GSFC) cachet on cover | NOAA-8 launch, SARSAT logo |
| United States | 1983-03-28 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-8 launch, COSPAS/SARSAT logo |
| United States | 1983-03-28 | Greenbelt MD | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-8 launch, COSPAS/SARSAT logo |
| United States | 1984-12-12 | Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-9 launch, SARSAT acronym |
| United States | 1985-03-24 | Park Forest IL | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | 25th anniv. TIROS-1 launch, SARSAT acronym |
| United States | 1986-09-17 | Greenbelt MD | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-10 launch, SARSAT acronym |
| United States | 1986-09-17 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-10 launch, SARSAT acronym |
| United States | 1988-09-24 | Geeenbelt MD | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-11 launch, SARSAT acronym |
| United States | 1988-09-24 | Lompoc CA, Vandenberg AFB | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | NOAA-11 launch, SARSAT acronym |
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