The University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (UNH CCOM), as a member of the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI) and funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration, has taken delivery of an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) developed by French unmanned systems company iXblue.
The USV has been fully integrated into Nautilus, the exploration vessel owned by the Ocean Exploration Trust.
NOAA Ocean Exploration Director Jeremy Weirich said the USV can be operated over-the-horizon and away from a ship, thus increasing the rate at which the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) can be explored in support of the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization.
The craft will support NOAA Ocean Exploration's mission by providing mapping and characterisation capabilities and supporting other autonomous vehicles that are independent of the activities of the mother ship, greatly expanding the efficiency and effectiveness of ocean exploration operations.