GSARSED - Galileo SAR Service Early Demonstration

Project Description

There are two Search and Rescue (SAR) systems operating currently for Cospas-Sarsat: LEOSAR and GEOSAR; these systems operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary (GEO) respectively. The European Global Navigation Satellite System (Galileo) and Cospas-Sarsat, which supports worldwide organizations responsible for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, are the main systems involved during the project. Galileo will provide SAR service supporting Cospas-Sarsat in the future MEOSAR system. This service is known as SAR/Galileo and it will interoperate with DASS/GPS and SAR/Glonass.

SAR/Galileo Service is divided in two sub-services:

• Forward Link Service (FLS): as provided by LEOSAR and GEOSAR but enhancing performances considerably: real global and continuous coverage and almost instantaneous Time-To-Locate.
• Return Link Service (RLS): an innovative service to users. The system provides information about the status of the rescue mission. It is also aimed at coordinating SAR teams in the vicinity.

Figure 1 depicts the SAR/Galileo architecture; this is the End-to-End scenario in which all the final components of the system are involved. After this demonstration, a monitoring scenario is scheduled for comparing the MEOSAR FLS performance versus existing Cospas-Sarsat systems – LEOSAR and GEOSAR.

GSARSED is conceived as the SAR/Galileo demonstration Project through a set of incremental scenarios according to the actual deployment of the MEOSAR system (from constellation to ground components) and the feedback obtained from the SAR community. Different emulators replace real systems not yet deployed at GSARSED initial stage. The interaction of the different work packages is described in Work logic diagram - Figure 2.

The main impact and result of this project is to be able to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative MEOSAR service and prove the enhanced SAR performances achieving a final End-to-End demonstration in a real environment.

Others impacts are social and media, they are achieved as a consequence of the initial results. In particular, the main results are expected to be the demonstration of the first operational service of Galileo. This will be the first worldwide application developed at European level and it is expected to smooth the progress for introducing Galileo into the navigation applications.

Moreover, during GSARSED execution, SAR/Galileo actively contributes to the Cospas-Sarsat MEOSAR Proof of Concept (PoC) phase implementing a complete demonstration collection of the service and to be prepared to the D&E phase. This will facilitate the integration of the SAR/Galileo system infrastructure in the future Cospas-Sarsat MEOSAR service interoperating with DASS/GPS and SAR/Glonass.

GSARSED will achieve these objectives through the vast experience obtained in SAR/Galileo by Indra and its partners in previous projects such as FP6 GISAR. Development of a MEOLUT and RLSP prototypes were carried in GISAR project. Also in this project the development of emulators and validation tools, the detailed specification of the system architecture, the interfaces of the Forward Link and the Return Link aspects and the consolidation of SAR mission aspects have been implemented.

Collaborating Companies or Organisations

Indra's Role

Indra is the project coordinator and is responsible to ensure the correct progress of the project and act as the contractual interface to the GSA. In addition, Indra manages the GSARSED contributions of each partner, maintains overall attention of the progress of the task and coordinates the data package deliveries. The objective is maintaining high quality level in the work implemented by the consortium.

Furthermore, Indra participates actively in the consortium implementing major work packages because of the knowledge acquired in previous projects.

In conclusion, Indra is in charge of GSARSED coordination and management keeping fully informed at all times of the project progress by each of the task project manager and interact with him on a continual and fluid basis. At the same time Indra participates in key work packages.

Figure 2 shows the Project Management Diagram.

Technologies used

Know-how from previous projects contributes directly in the implementation of GSARSED.

The SAR European MEOLUT is the main actor in the demonstration of SAR/Galileo Service. MEOLUT has been developed by Indra in GISAR project under the 6^th Framework Programme.

The MEOLUT is the element responsible for the correct reception of SAR Distress signal sent by beacons in distress and relayed by the MEOSAR space segment. The MEOLUT is in charge of the subsequent localization of these beacons and informing its associated Mission Control Centre (MCC – Cospas-Sarsat) which is responsible for launching the Rescue Mission (through the Rescue Control Centre – RCC).

GSARSED emulators are other elements used replacing real systems that are not yet operational. These emulators, CSNE and GMS-e, replace the Cospas-Sarsat Network and the Galileo GMS respectively. These emulators have been developed by the consortium in previous projects.

On the other hand, different SAR beacon test are used allowing demonstrations customizations in order to analyze the proper functioning of the system in several situations

More information

1.- Final scenario architecture for the End-to-End demonstration:

2.- Project Management Diagram:

3.- Work logic Diagram:

This project is sponsored by the European Commission within the FP7.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no FP7-248250