Saildrone Surveyor - collecting data supported by The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project
From the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project press release
Saildrone’s flagship autonomous, uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) – the Saildrone Surveyor – arrived in Hawaii last month after a groundbreaking 2,250-nautical mile maiden voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu.
The collection of new seafloor mapping data during the Hawaii transit was partially funded by the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE prize money, won by the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Alumni Team in 2019.
During the 28-day voyage, the Saildrone Surveyor mapped 6,400 square nautical miles of seafloor. Using renewable wind and solar energy as its primary power source, the Saildrone Surveyor is the only vehicle in the world capable of long-endurance, uncrewed ocean mapping operations. The vehicle is optimised for deep-ocean mapping, and the data collected will play a vital role in tackling current issues facing the planet, including climate change. It will also contribute to Seabed 2030’s mission to map the global seafloor by 2030.
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