Saildrone Explorer

The ocean is contested. Persistence wins.

WHAT Explorer DELIVERS

Persistent METOC Observations

Technical wireframe drawing of a Explorer

Wind Speed & Direction

AIS Transceiver

Smart Camera Array

Sea Surface Temperature

Sunlight

Air Temperature & Humidity

Satellite Communications

Wave Height and Period

Carbon Dioxide

Barometric Pressure

Chlorophyll

Temperature, Salinity & Dissolved Oxygen

Seafloor Depth

Fish Biomass

Ocean Currents

Orange Saildrone advanced science vehicle floating on the water surface against a clear blue sky.

A 7-meter unmanned surface vehicle (USV) designed for up to year-long operations in the most remote and challenging ocean environments. Explorer delivers continuous meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) observations critical to weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and operational planning.

Built for missions where crewed vessels cannot safely or economically operate, Explorer provides uninterrupted data collection across vast ocean regions—including inside hurricanes—with zero manning burden.

Vehicle Specifications

Proven Operations in the World’s Harshest Environments

Powered exclusively by renewable wind and solar energy, the Explorer operates 24/7 for up to 365 continuous days at sea without a support vehicle. No other platform in the world can collect high-resolution, high-quality scientific data above and below the surface of the ocean with the endurance of the Saildrone Explorer.

Length

7 m

Wing height

5 m

Draft

2 m

Primary propulsion

Wind (Saildrone wing)

Average speed

1 - 3 knots

Endurance

12+ months

Range

Unlimited

RECENT MISSIONS

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Vehicles

109.83 knots

Highest wind speed recorded

14.15 meters

Highest significant wave height

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Mission Details

RECENT MISSIONS

Improving Hurricane Rapid Intensification Forecasting

Number of vehicles

109.83 kts

Highest wind speed recorded

14.15 m

Highest significant wave height

The biggest challenge to hurricane forecasting is rapid intensification, which can have a huge impact if a storm intensifies just before landfall.

Mission Details

RECENT MISSIONS

Improving Prediction of El Niño Weather Events in the Pacific Ocean

Saildrone Explorers

6 years

Ongoing operations

Integrating the Saildrone platform as part of the Tropical Pacific Observation System to monitor weather and climate in the Pacific Ocean.

Mission Details

RECENT MISSIONS

Integrating USVs & AI into an Operational Maritime Environment

Number of vehicles

Deployment locations

The US Navy’s 5th Fleet and its regional partners created a network of unmanned systems, networks, and AI tools to detect abnormal maritime behaviors and cue manned ships to respond.

Mission Details