C-Enduro Commences New Ocean Mission

C-Enduro

The wind and solar powered ASV C-Enduro recently commenced an oceanic robotics mission along with six other unmanned marine vessels off the southwest coast of England.

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC)  project will see the craft travelling up to 480 kilometres over 20 days, collecting scientific data about ocean processes and marine life along the way.

Communication with C-Enduro will occur via satellite and will be conducted from a control station at ASV’s new faciltiy in Portchester.

“Working with NOC and being involved in this project is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of C-Enduro and has played a huge part in its overall development,” said ASV Managing Director Dan Hook.

The 4.2 metre long craft can be propelled by multiple sources – it features 12 x 100 watt solar panels, a 720 watt wind turbine and a 2.5kW diesel generator. When operating in areas with good solar resources, the craft can be run solely on solar panels charging an extended battery pack.  Energy is stored in a 4.4kWh lithium ion battery bank that can be upgraded to 8.8kWh.

The C-Enduro can carry a payload up to 100kg and provide payload electrical power of 500W peak, with an average of 100W during a mission.

It has a cruise speed of 3.5 knots, allowing for a range of up to 7,500 nautical miles in optimal condition. C-Enduro has a mission endurance of 60 – 90 days.

Weighing 350kg bare, Enduro can be transported on standard road trailer, enabling simple slipway or beach launching and recovery.

ASV says it has constructed more than 60 unmanned marine systems for international science and survey, oil and gas and military and security industries.

“2014 has been our biggest year yet, we now have over 40 members of staff, opened a US arm of the business: ASV LLC, and have lots of exciting projects of the horizon”, said Mr. Hook.

Another solar powered unmanned marine vehicle (UMV) we’ve covered in the past is Liquid Robotics’ Wave Glider.

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