b'.NOAA continued from page 31NOAA The U.S. Coast Guard not only coordinates, but usuallyconducts maritime SAR missions, including for the watersPOLAR-ORBITING SATELLITE of Alaska. Coast Guard RCCs are set up to cover specificgeographic areas and act as command and coordination centers. The geographic areas of responsibility are divided among nine Coast Guard District commands and two Rescue Sub-Centers (RSC).Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) The Alaskan SAR is carried out by Air National Guard units, the Alaska State Troopers and local borough search and rescue organizations. Located at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska.NOAA Satellites Helped Rescue 421 People in 2019The SARSAT program is operated by Canada, USA, and NOAAImage France, while the COSPAS system is operated by Russia. NOAA-20 provides NOAAs National WeatherThirty-two other nations also participate in the program. The two satellite systems work together, receiving signals Service with global data for numerical weatherfrom emergency radio beacons and relaying them to ground prediction models used to develop timely andstations which process the signals and calculate the locations accurate U.S. weather forecasts.of the beacons. This allows search and rescue authorities to In addition, high-resolution imagery from the satellitessend rescue missions to those locations. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, known asOf those rescues, 306 people were rescued in 96 incidents VIIRS, enable the satellite to detect fog, sea-ice forma- at sea, 38 people were rescued from 20 aviation incidents, tion and breaking in the Arctic, volcanic eruptions andand 77 people were rescued in 61 incidents using personal wildfires in their very early stages.locator beacons (PLBs) on land.Advanced modeling and imagery information,Since the programs inception in 1982, COSPAS-SARSAT shared with international and governmental partners,has been credited with supporting more than 48,000 rescues will help businesses, the emergency preparednessworldwide, including nearly 9,100 people in the United States and its surrounding waters. Jand response communities and individuals make the best decisions possible in the face of weather-related hazards.Launched November 2017, as JPSS-1 and renamed NOAA-20 once it reached orbit, the satellite features the latest and best technology NOAA has ever flown in a polar orbit to capture more precise observations of the worlds atmosphere, land and waters.Data from the satellites advanced instruments help improve the accuracy of 3-to-7 day forecasts. NOAAImageNOAA-20 joins Suomi NPPthe NOAA-NASACOSPAS-SARSAT RESCUES demonstration satellite launched in 2011giving the U.S. the benefit of two sophisticated spacecraft inWorldwideOver 43,000+ people rescuednearly the same orbit.(since 1982)Each satellite circles the Earth in a polar orbit 14 timesUnited States9,099 People Rescued a day, collecting global observations that form the basis(since 1982)for U.S. weather prediction. Number of People Rescued in Calendar Year 2019JPSS-2, the second in the series, is scheduled toin the United States: 422be launched in 2021, followed by JPSS-3 in 2026 and JPSS-4 in 2031.Rescues at sea:JPSS satellites are designed to operate for seven307 people rescued in 96 incidentsyears, with the potential for several more years.Aviation rescues:The JPSS mission will deliver its critical data and38 people rescued in 20 incidentsinformation for at least the next two decades to supportTerrestrial PLB rescues:a Weather-Ready Nation. 77 people rescued in 61 incidentswww.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/our-satellites www.sarsat.noaa.gov32 Military Appreciation Resource Magazine Thank You For Your Service'