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The Cospas-Sarsat Program is an international organization that provides space-based relay of distress signals, or alerts, from emergency beacons that use the 406 megahertz (MHz) frequency. Cospas-Sarsat provides the alerts to search and rescue (SAR) authorities internationally.

COSPAS-SARSAT is a satellite-based monitoring system that detects and locates emergency beacons. Professional operators then notify search-and-rescue (SAR) authorities. The beacons comply with internationally agreed standards for radio communication and identification of beacon owners.

Cospas-Sarsat is best known as the system that detects and locates emergency beacons activated by aircraft, ships and people engaged in recreational activities in remote areas, and then sends these distress alerts to search-and-rescue (SAR) authorities.

These satellites can detect signals coming from the Earth's surface transmitted by 406 emergency distress beacons. These beacons operate on a 406MHz frequency and are battery powered radio transmitters designed solely to send a distress signal if activated.

NOAA operates the Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) System to detect and locate people in distress. Mariners, aviators, and recreational enthusiasts can all access the satellite system in an emergency using a portable radio transmitter called a 406 distress beacon.

The U.S. SARSAT system uses GPS satellites in medium earth orbit as well as NOAA satellites in low-earth orbits and GOES satellites in geostationary orbits to detect and locate distress signals from 406 emergency distress beacons.

There are three types of satellites in the Cospas-Sarsat system – Low-Earth Orbiting Search and Rescue (LEOSAR) satellites; Geostationary Orbiting Search and Rescue (GEOSAR) Satellites; and Medium-Altitude Earth Orbiting Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) Satellites.