The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned the Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) system, incorporating the indigenous Indian Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminal (MEOLUT), significantly enhancing the nation's maritime search-and-rescue capabilities.

The advanced system is designed to provide near real-time detection and highly accurate positioning of distress beacons, enabling faster emergency response across India's vast maritime domain.

By leveraging constellations from major global navigation satellite systems, including GPS, Galileo and GLONASS, the MEOSAR network can simultaneously receive and process distress signals through multiple satellites.

This multi-satellite capability allows emergency alerts from vessels, aircraft and individuals carrying compatible beacons to be detected with greater speed and precision than previous systems.

The newly commissioned infrastructure represents a major technological upgrade over the earlier Low Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (LEOSAR) and Geostationary Search and Rescue (GEOSAR) networks. 

Unlike legacy systems, MEOSAR substantially reduces delays associated with satellite pass-overs and addresses coverage limitations that previously affected certain regions, resulting in more reliable and continuous distress monitoring.

At the heart of the system is a sophisticated seven-channel ground station equipped with advanced antenna arrays and digital signal-processing technology. The facility receives and analyses distress beacon transmissions before integrating the information directly into India's national search-and-rescue framework.

The capability strengthens surveillance and emergency response across the Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR), which spans approximately 4.6 million square kilometres. Faster localisation of distress signals is expected to shorten rescue response times and improve survival prospects for those facing emergencies at sea.

The induction of the indigenous MEOLUT also reinforces India's growing self-reliance in critical maritime and space-enabled technologies. As part of the international Cospas-Sarsat search-and-rescue programme, the MEOSAR system aligns India with the latest global standards in satellite-aided rescue operations and enhances interoperability with international emergency response networks.

Agencies