The COSPAS-SARSAT system, the largest international cooperative effort on humanitarian Search and Rescue activities, detects 406 MHz SOS signals emitted by emergency beacons in near real-time from anywhere on Earth and relays the alert and location to rescue authorities, assisting thousands of rescues yearly. Galileo joined COSPAS-SARSAT in 2006 and contributes with its medium-Earth orbit satellite constellation since 2016. The addition of the European navigation system to the Search and Rescue programme improved the detection speed of distress signals and the location accuracy.