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In early March, two months before Falkor departed for the same mission, two saildrones were deployed from San Francisco. They have been transmitting data in real time, listening for the acoustic tags that researchers attached to great white sharks and using sonar to detect other creatures deep under the surface.
23 Images

Saildrone image gallery

Gallery of images from earlier Saildrone missions

In early March, two months before Falkor departed for the same mission, two saildrones were deployed from San Francisco. They have been transmitting data in real time, listening for the acoustic tags that researchers attached to great white sharks and using sonar to detect other creatures deep under the surface.
In early March, two months before Falkor departed for the same mission, two saildrones were deployed from San Francisco. They have been transmitting data in real time, listening for the acoustic tags that researchers attached to great white sharks and using sonar to detect other creatures deep under the surface. (SOI/Monika Naranjo Gonzalez)
A drone sailed into Hurricane Sam and sent back this image.
A drone sailed into Hurricane Sam and sent back this image. (Saildrone)
NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed saildrones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes.
NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed saildrones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes. (Saildrone)
Credit: Saildrone
Credit: Saildrone 
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Saildrone, Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released video and still photos gathered by a Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle from inside Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, barreling across the Atlantic Ocean. (Saildrone, Inc. )
2022 Saildrone Atlantic hurricane operation areas.jpg
Map showing a rough outline of the operation areas during the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane mission. One saildrone will be assigned to each op area. 
20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0461.jpeg
Saildrone has launched 12 drones as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
2023 hurricane deployment and domain areas.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230522-AtlanticHurricaneDeploy-5128.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230522-AtlanticHurricaneDeploy-5290.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230608-Hurricane STVI Deploy-Sunset Tow.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230619_Hurricane STVI Deploy_7183.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230622_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0364.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230622_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0370.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230622-Hurricane STVI deploy-3501.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0461.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0474.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230624_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0495.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230624_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0501.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230627_Hurricane Kickoff_1996.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
20230627_Hurricane Kickoff_2011.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
hurricane saildrone config-final-simplified-logo.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths (Saildrone / Special to WGCU)
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