SITRO-AIS Maritime Monitoring Constellation
SITRONICS Space
Russia's first private space-based AIS constellation — 52+ CubeSats providing near-real-time global maritime traffic monitoring including the Northern Sea Route.
Technical specifications
- Form Factor
- 3U CubeSat (4 kg each)
- Constellation Size
- 52+ satellites (65+ planned)
- Frequency
- 156.025–162.025 MHz (VHF AIS bands)
- Coverage
- Global including Northern Sea Route
- Onboard Storage
- 1 GB
- Satellite Lifetime
- 3 years
- Applications
- Maritime traffic monitoring, Arctic shipping, SAR, fisheries, security
About
SITRO-AIS is SITRONICS Space’s maritime monitoring constellation, developed by Sputnix (acquired by Sitronics Group in 2021). The constellation comprises 52+ operational 3U CubeSats weighing approximately 4 kg each, receiving ship Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals at 156.025–162.025 MHz and relaying them to ground stations for near-real-time maritime traffic monitoring.
The constellation provides global AIS coverage including the Northern Sea Route (Arctic passages) where terrestrial AIS receivers have no coverage — a strategically important capability for Russia’s Arctic shipping lanes. Each SITRO-AIS satellite carries 1 GB of onboard storage and has a 3-year operational life, with the constellation planned to grow to 65+ satellites.
The system enables near-real-time tracking of vessels beyond coastal range, supporting maritime domain awareness, port operations optimization, fisheries monitoring, search and rescue, and security applications. SITRONICS Group markets the service as an alternative to foreign AIS data providers (e.g., Spire, exactEarth) for Russian government and commercial maritime customers.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.