In the News
GOOS SUN fleet media announcements published
Uncrewed Surface Vehicles Go Global: SUN Fleet Joins Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) as a New Emerging Network
A new emerging ocean observing network joins the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), marking a key step in expanding coordinated, global ocean surface observations. This fleet of Uncrewed Surface Vehicles, called SUN Fleet, is able to monitor numerous GOOS Essential Ocean Variables and measure important air-sea exchanges in remote areas and under harsh conditions.
Uncrewed surface vehicles usher in new era of ocean observation
The Surface UNcrewed Fleet (SUN Fleet) – a new network of ocean robots – could solve longstanding scientific challenges.
Filling a data gap in the Tropical Pacific to reveal daily air-sea interactions
Saildrone Fleet Reaches New Milestone: 1,000,000 Nautical Miles and 32,000 Days at Sea
On a windy day in October 2013, a small team of engineers and boatbuilders watched the first wind-powered ocean drone disappear over the horizon, bound for Hawaii 2,200 nautical miles away. That journey took 34 days. Fast forward 10 years, and Saildrone’s fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), now 136 strong and scaling rapidly, has sailed 1,042,620 nautical miles and spent 32,438 days at sea—and counting. Multiple PMEL Saildrone research projects are highlighted.