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Argos Data Collection
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Argos Data Collection
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This page contains philatelic information on the Argos data collection and location system (and Data Collection System (DCS) on geostationary satellites). Catalog numbers, years of issue, and notes on the satellites featured are given when available. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.
Argos is a satellite-based system which collects, processes, and disseminates environmental data from fixed and mobile platforms worldwide, as well as the ability to geographically locate the source of the data anywhere on the Earth. Since 1978, Argos has provided data to environmental research and protection communities that, in many cases, was otherwise unobtainable. Many remote automatic observing stations report via Argos.
Argos was developed under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The system utilizes both ground and satellite-based resources to accomplish its mission. This includes instruments carried aboard the NOAA polar-orbiting environmental satellites (POES), receiving stations around the world, and major processing facilities in France and the US.
The necessary equipment for Argos has been placed aboard various satellites:
Argos is not an acronym, rather, it is the chosen name for the system. Unlike the COSPAS / SARSAT system designed specifically for the rescue of persons in distress, the Argos system is intended for environmental data collection and limited other use. However, many of the system characteristics are similar, such as global coverage provided by the use of the same polar-orbiting weather satellites to collect and transfer the data to ground stations. Reference: http://noaasis.noaa.gov/ARGOS/.
The Argos system/program should not be confused with the ARGOS (Advanced Research Global Observation Satellite) astronomy mission launched in 1999.
See also the Argos-program balloons section of the weather balloons page.
| Launch covers (including anniversary-of-launch covers, and launch-related event covers) (farther below) |
Other postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.) (immediately below) |
|---|---|
| Argos data collection and location system | Argos data collection and location system |
| DCS on geostationary satellites | DCS on geostationary satellites |
Below is a list of Argos and DCS postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.).
| Country | Catalog Number | Type of Item | Year of Issue | Notes on Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argos data collection and location system | ||||
| France | None | Cachet on cover | 1979 | Aerial view of the Argos Centre at CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales) |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C50 (Mi128) | 1979 | "Programme Argos" (in text) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C114 (Mi281) | 1991 | "Albatros - Argos" (in text) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | C147 (Mi383) | 1998 | Penguin with Argos transmitter; "Manchots Argos" (in text) | |
| French Southern and Antarctic Territories | Unknown5 (Mi?) | One of strip of 5 (1-5) | 2012 | King penguin with Argos transmitter |
| Malagasy Republic | 969 (Mi1248) | One of MS6 (972b (967-972)) | 1990 | "Système Argos" and "Programmes de Suivi Appliqués aux Éléphants en Namibie" (Tracking Programs for Namibian Elephants, in text) |
| Malagasy Republic | 969a (BL135) | SS1 (969) | ||
| Malagasy Republic | 1304A (Mi1799Aa-1804Aa) | On one of MS6, 972b overprinted in silver | 1996 | "Système Argos" and "Programmes de Suivi Appliqués aux Éléphants en Namibie" (Tracking Programs for Namibian Elephants, in text) |
| Malagasy Republic | 1304B (Mi1799Ab-1804Ab) | On one of MS6, 972b overprinted in gold | ||
| United States | None | Cachet on (Nimbus-3 post-launch) cover | 1970 | Wyoming elk (Monique) tracking, Operation MOE (Movement of Elk), likely using Interrogation Recording and Location System (IRLS), precursor to Argos |
| Data Collection System (DCS) on geostationary satellites1 | ||||
| France | C51 sc (Mi2157 sc) | Souvenir card | 1981 | "collection of data measured by automatic or semi-automatic platforms" (in text), referring to DCS equipment |
| Micronesia | 297 (BL40) | SS1 | 1998 | "data is transmitted from the buoys via satellite" (in text), referring to DCS equipment |
1Data Collection System (DCS) is similar to Argos, but is carried on geostationary satellites.
Below is a list of Argos and DCS on satellite and balloon launch covers.
| Country | Cancel Date | Cancel Location | Type of Item | Notes on Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argos data collection and location system | ||||
| United States | 1969-04-14 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (Orbit) cachet on cover | Nimbus-3 launch; "Interrogation Recording and Location System" (IRLS), precursor to Argos |
| United States | 1970-04-08 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (Orbit) cachet on cover | Nimbus-4 launch; "Interrogation Recording and Location System" (IRLS), precursor to Argos |
| United States | 1978-10-13 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (RCA) cachet on cover | TIROS-N launch; (Argos) "Data Collection System" (in text) |
| United States | 1978-10-13 | Vandenberg AFB, CA | (red rubber-stamp) cachet on cover, also back | TIROS-N launch; Argos (also logo on back) |
| United States | 1978-10-13 | GSFC, MD | (CNES) cachet on cover back, also front | TIROS-N launch; Argos logo, and "TIROS-N Argos" (in text) |
| South Africa | 1981-09-15 | Pretoria | (Lollini) cachet on cover | Stratospheric balloon launch cover; "Balise Argos" (in text); (refers to Argos transmitter, but there is no apparent relation to Argos transmitters in the rest of the cover, except that the ATN/NOAA satellite depicted does represent the type of satellite that could receive Argos transmitter signals) |
| Data Collection System (DCS) on geostationary satellites1 | ||||
| United States | 1975-10-16 | Kennedy Space Center FL | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | GOES-1 launch; "will collect and relay environmental data for weather detection and prediction, observation of ocean currents, monitor of water levels, etc." (in text) |
| United States | 1975-10-16 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit) cachet on cover | GOES-1 (not "GEOS", as in text) launch; "receive and transmit environmental info up to 10,000 manned and unmanned data collection platforms" (in text) |
| United States | 1977-07-14 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Orbit) cachet on cover | GMS-1 (not "SMS-3", as in text) launch; "receive and transmit environmental info up to 10,000 manned and unmanned data collection platforms" (in text) |
| United States | 1977-11-22 | GSFC, MD | (GSFC) cachet on cover | Meteosat-1 launch; "data collection from remote stations, both land and buoys" (in text) |
| United States | 1978-06-16 | Cape Canaveral FL | (Centennial?) cachet on cover | GOES-3 launch; "can collect weather data from up to 10,000 ground stations in six hours" (in text) |
| United States | 1981-08-10 | Greenbelt MD | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | GMS-2 launch; picture of data being collected from a ship and an ocean buoy |
| Japan | 1981-08-11 | Minamitane | (Space Voyage) cachet (different color) on cover | |
| Japan | 1981-08-11 | Tsukubagakuen | (Space Voyage) cachet (different color) on cover | |
| United States | 1983-04-28 | Greenbelt MD | (GSFC) cachet on cover | GOES-6 launch; "collects local environmental data" (in text) |
| United States | 1983-04-28 | Kennedy Space Center FL | (Printed) cachet on cover | GOES-6 launch; "collect local environmental data" (in text) |
| United States | 1986-05-03 | Greenbelt MD | (GSFC) cachet on cover | GOES-G launch [failed]; "data collection, data relay" (in text) |
| United States | 1987-02-26 | Greenbelt MD | (GSFC) cachet on cover | GOES-7 launch; "data collection, data relay" (in text) |
| United States | 1989-09-05 | Greenbelt MD | (Space Voyage) cachet on cover | GMS-4 launch; picture of data being collected from a ship and an ocean buoy |
| Japan | 1989-09-06 | Tsukubagakuen | (Space Voyage) cachet (different color) on cover | |
| Japan | 1989-09-06 | Tsukubagakuen (scenic cancel)2 | (Space Voyage) cachet (different color) on cover | |
1Data Collection System (DCS) is similar to Argos, but is carried on geostationary satellites.
2Scenic cancels contain drawings, as opposed to only characters and numbers.
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