Autonomous float known as Seasat's Surface Vessel successfully traversed the Pacific Ocean, concluding a mission that spanned over 7,500 miles.
Seasats' Autonomous Vessel Successfully Completes Trans-Pacific Journey
In a groundbreaking achievement, Seasats, a US-based developer of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), has announced the successful completion of a fully autonomous trans-Pacific voyage by their flagship Lightfish series. The solar-powered vehicle, measuring 12 feet and weighing 350 pounds, crossed over 7,500 miles in 150 days, reaching the Japanese coast in July 2025.
The Lightfish, primarily known for its versatility in various missions such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), security, sub-sea communications, electronic warfare, monitoring wildlife, tracking harmful algal blooms, and creating bathymetric maps of channels and harbors, began its journey from Seasats' headquarters in San Diego. Along the way, it stopped in Hawaii for a demonstration, took pictures on its way past Wake Island and Guam, participated in another demonstration in Okinawa, and finished its journey on mainland Japan.
Dylan Rodriguez, Seasats' CTO and co-founder, expressed his excitement about the mission, highlighting the Lightfish's ability to combine multi-month endurance, advanced sensing, and modular payload capabilities in a compact, cost-effective package. Seasats has been operating Lightfish on every inhabited continent, and this voyage underscores their commitment to making such missions a routine event.
The demand for low-cost, highly capable unmanned systems is increasing rapidly, and Seasats' systems, designed for long-duration maritime operations in defense, science, and commercial sectors, are well-positioned to meet this demand. In fact, Seasats has expressed intentions to rapidly scale and have vessels navigating oceans around the world.
The Secretary of Defense recently announced a memo on unleashing US drone dominance and modernizing the DoD's use of low-cost drones, which could further boost the demand for Seasats' ASVs. The company has already garnered the attention of leading naval, research, and security organizations globally, with Seasats' systems being deployed worldwide.
Seasats' autonomous surface vessel (ASV), Lightfish, has attracted excited customers, and more information about the company can be found at www.seasats.com. During the voyage, a publicly accessible tracking page displayed a 24/7 ocean intelligence feed, providing real-time updates on the Lightfish's journey.
This successful trans-Pacific voyage by Seasats' Lightfish is a significant step forward in the development and deployment of autonomous surface vehicles. As these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative applications and breakthroughs in the future.
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