Steven Lett | |
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![]() Steven Lett (right) receiving traditional gifts from Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades at an official dinner on the occasion of Cospas-Sarsat meetings in Limassol, Cyprus, 14 June 2013 | |
Head of Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat | |
In office 1 June 2011 –Present | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1958 United States |
Alma mater | Duke University, National Defense University |
Occupation | Diplomat |
Steven Lett (born 1958) is a former American diplomat and current chief executive (Head of Secretariat) of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1]
Prior to joining Cospas-Sarsat, Lett was Deputy United States Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, immediately under Ambassadors Philip L. Verveer (2009–2011), David A. Gross (2001–2009) and Vonya B. McCann (1994–1999) at the U.S. Department of State. [2] He directed the Office of Technology and Security Policy and was responsible for strategic international policy-making and diplomatic outreach for issues that included telecommunications and Internet security, the international satellite market, and emerging technologies. He was the U.S. representative at the 150-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO, known as INTELSAT prior to privatization of INTELSAT's commercial activities in 2001), and the 34-nation Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD's) Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy. [3] [4] He headed U.S. delegations in the 95-nation International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO, known as Inmarsat prior to privatization of Inmarsat's commercial activities in 1999). Lett also has participated in committees and conferences of the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Telecommunication Union where topics included the use of technology to advance aviation and maritime safety and security, improved access to information and communications technologies for the world's poor, and greater efficiency in the international management of radio spectrum and satellite orbits. He has testified about satellite matters before the U.S. Senate. [5] [6]
Prior to joining the State Department in 1989, Lett was a member of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's International Conference Staff and Common Carrier Bureau. There he worked on rule-making proceedings related to the international telecommunications market, and headed delegations to resolve radio-interference concerns impacting satellite operations of the United States and other countries.
Lett completed bachelor's degree programs at Duke University (Durham, NC, USA) in Electrical Engineering, and in Public Policy, and holds a Master of Science degree with distinction from the National Defense University's Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Washington, DC, USA) where he studied, among other things, disaster management. [7] [8]
Intelsat S.A. is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, from 1964 to 2001, it was an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international telecommunications and broadcast services.
The International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites. Some of these services concern:
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Intelsat 509, previously named Intelsat V F-9, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1984, it was the ninth of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched. The Intelsat V series was constructed by Ford Aerospace, based on the Intelsat-V satellite bus. Intelsat V F-9 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network. He also carried a Maritime Communications Services (MCS) package for Inmarsat. However, the launch vehicle failed to put the satellite into a useful orbit.
An emergency locator beacon is a radio beacon, a portable battery powered radio transmitter, used to locate airplanes, vessels, and persons in distress and in need of immediate rescue. Various types of emergency locator beacons are carried by aircraft, ships, vehicles, hikers and cross-country skiers. In case of an emergency, such as the aircraft crashing, the ship sinking, or a hiker becoming lost, the transmitter is deployed and begins to transmit a continuous radio signal, which is used by search and rescue teams to quickly find the emergency and render aid. The purpose of all emergency locator beacons is to help rescuers find survivors within the so-called "golden day", the first 24 hours following a traumatic event, during which the majority of survivors can usually be saved.