Continuous communication in the Arctic: how Roscosmos Yamal satellites help provide continuous communication to ships on the Arctic Sea Route.
At the international conference OMR 2026, representatives of Gazprom Space Systems described how the Yamal-401 and Yamal-300K satellites manufactured by RESHETNYOV (part of Roscosmos) provide continuous communication along the orbit in the North Pole, taking into account the minimum allowed elevation angles.
In the northern conditions, where there are no normal cell towers, the satellite channel becomes a real wire connecting ships to the mainland. This is important for:
Coordinating the work of teams, shift workers and scientific expeditions;
Quick call for help in emergency situations;.
Internet access and local cellular communication.
Precision in movement between glaciers.
Using a satellite channel, not only Internet traffic can be transferred to the ship, but also corrective information for navigation equipment. This will allow ship captains to plan optimal routes and safely avoid ice jams.
This technology has already been successfully tested on the Golitsyn academic ship in 2025. At the beginning of 2027, it will start operating with three more ships.