Screen shipping corridors with open Sentinel-1 radar, AIS support metadata, SAR overlays, and optical context — all via API. Start with a renewable monthly free tier, then escalate high-value cases to the separate Intelligence scan workflow.
This is the screening layer: ESA's Sentinel-1 C-band radar satellites image the oceans every 6–12 days in all weather. We process those scenes, attach AIS support context, and serve them via API for maritime monitoring, triage, and historical analysis. Exact-time investigations stay separate in the Intelligence tier.
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Query maritime scenes, vessel candidates, AIS support, and SAR/optical overlays from a single API. The launch focus is shipping corridors and chokepoints; other detection layers remain experimental until their data density and quality are proven.
This tier is separate from the Sentinel-1 screening API. For sanctions evasion, illicit ship-to-ship transfers, and illegal fishing investigations, we task a commercial SAR satellite (ICEYE, Capella, or Umbra), correlate detections against AIS coverage at the exact acquisition time, and return a fresh investigation report with matched, unmatched, and AIS-gap context.
The launch product is maritime screening plus exact-time investigations. That keeps the workflow self-serve while staying honest about where the strongest data and quality sit today.
The point is not to outspend enterprise maritime intelligence vendors. The point is to give smaller teams a self-serve screening product and a clear path to exact-time investigations.
| Planet | Orbital Insight | Maxar | SAR API ✦ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ 1,000 monthly credits |
| Self-serve signup | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ 30 seconds |
| Public pricing | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ On this page |
| REST API + GeoJSON | Partial | Partial | ✗ | ✓ Standard GeoJSON |
| Dark vessel detection | ✗ | Enterprise only | ✗ | ✓ $999/scan |
| Starting price | ~$30k/yr | ~$50k/yr | ~$20k/yr | $0 free · $49/mo |
Competitor pricing based on publicly available information and reported enterprise minimums.
Monthly plans cover maritime screening and triage. Exact-time commercial SAR investigations stay separate so routine monitoring stays affordable and honest.
Overage calls beyond your daily plan limit. 1 credit = 1 API call above your cap. Credits valid 90 days — stack on top of any plan.
1,000 renewable monthly maritime explorer credits, no card required. Upgrade any time.