In 2025, NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems Operations Center funded six projects totaling roughly $10.1 million to increase the reliability, capacity, efficiency and safety of NOAA missions through the use of uncrewed systems. These projects are led by NOAA researchers, in collaboration with industry partners and U.S. academic institutions.
Projects funded in this semi-annual request for projects cycle use uncrewed systems across NOAA mission areas. These missions will deploy a variety of uncrewed systems, each tailored to the specific environment and scientific goals of the project. These projects show how NOAA can acquire more essential data by using advanced uncrewed systems, from gathering critical data from the heart of a hurricane, to studying the uncharted waters of the Pacific.
Reaping the rewards
The benefits of using uncrewed systems are already being put to use in some cases. During the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season uncrewed surface vehicles were deployed in partnership with the company Oshen and made contact with five tropical storms, including Hurricane Humberto as a Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane. This milestone marks the first time an uncrewed surface vehicle has made contact with a Category 5 hurricane, enabling it to measure wind speeds of up to 78 miles per hour at sea level. NOAA scientists also used rapid response uncrewed surface vehicles to survey hurricanes with potential to make landfall. These platforms were staged in strategic areas along the coast and were deployed on the water within 48 hours to collect crucial oceanographic and meteorological data. All the data collected was sent to operational centers in real time, allowing the National Hurricane Center to cite, share and use them for forecasting.
Outside of storm research , other uncrewed marine systems funded through past requests for proposals have gathered valuable data. For example, the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center partnered with Liquid Robotics to deploy a Wave Glider uncrewed surface vehicle to gather data about the ocean ecosystem around the Hawaiian Islands. While the original purpose of the mission was to support ecosystem-based management of the region’s fisheries and protected species, the platform was able to gather data within the runoff caused by the first major rain event following the devastating wildfires on Maui in 2023. Such efforts highlight the value of deploying uncrewed marine systems to systematically and opportunistically gather data.
This work strengthens public safety, as well as the economy and national security. In the newly selected projects, uncrewed systems will collect data from inside dangerous storms to improve hurricane intensity forecasts and monitor the Pacific, increasing the accuracy of weather predictions nationwide. Other platforms will be deployed to map Alaskan and Pacific island waters to provide data to update nautical charts, ensuring safe navigation routes for the shipping and fishing industry. Platforms supporting other projects will monitor the habitats of protected species, providing data that helps maritime industries operate efficiently while protecting vulnerable marine life. Awarding these projects asserts America’s leadership in ocean exploration and technology.
2025 Funded Projects
The following six projects were selected from a pool of 10 proposals totaling $52 million in requested funding. Each project will receive financial and project management support from NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems Operations Center over varying periods, with the average funding support for two years. Check out the selected projects below.
Project Title: Use of Uncrewed Surface Vessels to Collect Ocean and Atmosphere Data in Monterey Bay
Program: National Weather Service, National Data Buoy Center
Vendor: @Orchard, LLC
Vehicle: Open Ocean Robotics DataXplorer Uncrewed Surface Vehicle
Description: To address a critical buoy outage in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, an uncrewed surface vessel will be temporarily deployed to provide supplemental, in-situ oceanographic and meteorological observations. This initiative allows the National Data Buoy Center to maintain the continuous collection of real-time data during a critical buoy outage. This data is essential for National Weather Service forecast and warning systems, commercial and recreational use. By using uncrewed systems instead of a traditional moored buoy, this project fills an observational gap, and reduces environmental impact within the sanctuary.
Project Title: Use of Uncrewed Surface Vessels to Better Understand Protected Species Habitats
Program: National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Vendor: Chance Maritime
Vehicle: MC-29 Uncrewed Surface Vehicle
Description: This project will deploy an uncrewed surface vehicle to the continental shelf ecosystem south of New England, a primary foraging ground for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, other large whales, and leatherback turtles. The platform will collect data on ocean temperature, salinity, currents, wave height, chlorophyll and bathymetry to understand how these animals use this habitat in the winter. The insights gained from these observations will directly support and information NOAA’s critical management decisions for the protection of these vulnerable populations.
Project Title: Uncrewed Surface Vehicles application Within the Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS)
Program: Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Vendor: Saildrone, Inc.
Vehicle: Saildrone Explorer Uncrewed Surface Vehicle
Description: This project will integrate uncrewed surface vehicles into the Tropical Pacific Observing System to collect large-scale oceanic and atmospheric data. This effort will enhance the scientific understanding of major -weather patterns that originate in the Pacific, such as El Nino Southern Oscillation and Madden-Julian Oscillation. This improved understanding directly translates to more accurate weather forecasts across the United States, from daily forecasts to improved warnings on extreme weather events.
Project Title: Observing Hurricanes with Uncrewed Surface Vessels
Program: Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory
Vendors: Saildrone, Inc., Oshen, and Chance Maritime
Vehicles: Specially designed Saildrone Explorer, Oschen C-Star, Chance MC-40 Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
Description: This project enables uncrewed surface vehicle operations during the 2025, 2026 and 2027 Atlantic hurricane seasons. The primary mission is to gather crucial, real-time ocean and atmospheric data from inside these dangerous systems with the main goal of improving hurricane intensity forecasts. This critical data will help save lives and protect property from the devastating impacts of these storms.
Project Title: Mapping and Exploration Data Collection for Ocean Exploration in the Remote Pacific U.S. EEZ of the Marianas Islands
Program: Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Ocean Exploration
Vendor: Saildrone, Inc. via Woolpert, Inc.
Vehicle: Saildrone Surveyor Uncrewed Surface Vehicle
Description: This project uses an uncrewed surface vehicle equipped with a high resolution multibeam mapping system to conduct full ocean depth mapping in an uncharted area of the Marianas Islands east of Guam. This mission will significantly advance ocean exploration and characterization efforts in the remote Pacific U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. The valuable data collected will directly contribute to major national and international goals, including the U.S. National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Strategy and the global Seabed 2030 project.
Project Title: Force Multiplication through Uncrewed Surface Vessels in Support of Safe Navigation and Ocean and Coastal Mapping
Program: National Ocean Service, Office of Coast Survey
Vendor: TerraSond
Vehicle: LR-1 Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
Description: This project will utilize uncrewed surface vehicles in a force-multiplication capacity to support the acquisition of hydrographic survey data in Alaska’s navigable waters. The critical bathymetric data collected by the platforms will directly enhance maritime safety and coastal mapping efforts in the region. These observations are essential for updating NOAA’s official nautical charting products to ensure safe navigation.