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ISRO unit to receive award for facilitating sea rescue in South East Asia | Bangalore News
The National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSRB) has chosen the Indian National Mission Control Centre (INMCC) of the Department of Space for the 2022-2023 edition of its annual Search and Rescue (SAR) awards for facilitating sea rescue in South East Asia.
“It is heartening to inform you that for the important role played by INMCC in Indian SAR construct through consistent yeoman maritime services provided which enabled saving lives at sea, efficient coordination with MRCCs, support to Beacon user agencies besides maintaining 24/7 Cospas-SARSAT services, establishment of Central DAT Hub and MEOSAR, maintaining Beacon registration database etc has been selected for the SAR Award for Ashore Unit for the year 2022-23,” the NMSRB has stated.
The award will be presented at the 21st NMSAR Board meeting which is scheduled to be held on October 12 in Kolkata by the director general of the coast guard who is also the chairman of the NMSRB. “This is the first award since INMCC was started in 1989,” the INMCC manager and scientist Suresh R Naik said.
The INMCC which is part of ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facilitates Satellite Aided Search and Rescue at sea.
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“There are several ways that search and rescue authorities are alerted to a vessel or an aircraft in trouble, that includes marine radio distress calls, flares and overdue vessel or aircraft reports. But the space-age-technology elegantly handles the search and rescue operations using satellites and radio beacons,” according to the INMCC.
The backbone of the search and rescue system is the over four decade old international Cospas-Sarsat Programme comprising of 44 countries – with India being a key player in the space segment with as many as two communication satellites and offers services to seven countries for search and rescue operations in cases of sea, air and land accidents.
The Indian National Mission Control Centre provides services to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.