Saildrones fill in for busted buoys
August 31, 2022 - Two weather buoys in the Gulf of Mexico are out of service just as the peak of hurricane season approaches. As a quick fix, Saildrone, which conducts ocean mapping operations from St. Petersburg’s Maritime Defense and Technology Hub, is sending two of its uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to serve as temporary weather stations. The Saildrones, two of which the company released from the waterfront Hub on Aug. 2 to gather hurricane information, began transmitting weather data Monday to climatologists and weather forecasters worldwide via the Global Telecommunication System.