Why is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) involved in Search and Rescue?
NOAA operates the nation’s civil environmental satellites. These satellites are used to monitor the weather. These satellites also carry instruments that detect emergency beacons. As NOAA operates the satellites that carry search and rescue instruments and operates the equipment to receive and process distress signals, it is the lead agency in the United States for the Cospas-Sarsat Program. NOAA also represents the United States to the international Cospas-Sarsat Program.
