The first Cospas-Sarsat satellite was launched 35 years ago on 30 June 1982, and on 10 September 1982, three Canadians were rescued from a crashed light aircraft thanks to a signal received by satellite.
Read more (see Chapter 2, pages 23 to 25): The History and Experience of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme for Satellite-Aided Search and Rescue