Hurricane Missions

In partnership with NOAA, Saildrone is going storm chasing in the Tropical Atlantic to collect data where it’s never been collected before—inside a hurricane.

Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 is collecting valuable ocean data about how hurricanes intensify for NOAA.

SD 1045, famous for capturing the first video from inside a major hurricane at sea, is one of 12 saildrones collecting data about hurricane rapid intensification for NOAA this summer.

Saildrone Explorer SD 1078 is battling 50-foot waves and winds measured over 100 mph inside the Cat 4 hurricane.

Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 measured the “highest wind speed recorded by a USV” during Hurricane Sam in 2021.

NOAA, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, the Weather Channel, and Popular Mechanics have named the Atlantic hurricane mission one of the most important stories of 2021.

NOAA and Saildrone sent five autonomous vehicles into the Tropical Atlantic and successfully collected data of ocean-atmospheric interaction inside a major hurricane, which had never been done before by any uncrewed surface vehicle.

Saildrone and NOAA are launching seven wind-powered ocean drones to collect data inside hurricanes in the Tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

The third-annual Atlantic Hurricane mission will provide data to NOAA researchers to better understand how these large and destructive storms grow and intensify.