International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme Cospas-Sarsat is an international organization that has been a model of international cooperation, even during the Cold War. SARSAT means search-and-rescue satellite-aided tracking. COSPAS (КОСПАС) is an acronym for the Russian words "COsmicheskaya Sistema Poiska Avariynyh Sudov" (Космическая Система Поиска Аварийных Судов), which translates to "space system for the search of vessels in distress". A consortium of USSR, the U.S., Canada, and France formed the organization in 1982. Since then, 29 other countries have joined.
International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme Cospas-Sarsat is an international organization that has been a model of international cooperation, even during the Cold War. SARSAT means search-and-rescue satellite-aided tracking. COSPAS (КОСПАС) is an acronym for the Russian words "COsmicheskaya Sistema Poiska Avariynyh Sudov" (Космическая Система Поиска Аварийных Судов), which translates to "space system for the search of vessels in distress". A consortium of USSR, the U.S., Canada, and France formed the organization in 1982. Since then, 29 other countries have joined.