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The Mayflower Autonomous Ship Transforms Ocean Science with the Help of Iridium®
A new era of the connected ship to set sail - pioneering crewless voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts to be kept connected by Iridium
About this update from Iridium Communications Inc
[{"type":"text","content":"A new era of the connected ship to set sail - pioneering crewless voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts to be kept connected by Iridium Certus®\n\n\nMCLEAN, Va., May 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) today announced that the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) has selected Iridium and partner Thales Group as its Official Communications Partner, providing critical real-time communications for the fully autonomous transatlantic research vessel. Anticipated to set sail in Spring 2021, its first mission will be to take on the same transatlantic crossing of the original 17th century Mayflower, while gathering critical environmental data regarding climate change, ocean acidity, plastic pollution, marine mammal conservation, and more. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nIn addition to its scientific mission, the crewless voyage will deliver important insights for the autonomous shipping movement underway in the maritime industry. Iridium, a leader in enabling the digitalization of vessels through satellite communications, is providing Iridium Certus weather-resilient broadband connectivity which can help remotely manage vessel operations including command and control, tracking, propulsion system diagnostics and more. The autonomous shipping movement is expected to gradually evolve to both limited crew and crewless vessels as remote piloting systems and regulatory requirements are further developed, and will help propel the maritime industry forward while providing significant cost-benefits for each vessel.\nThe Mayflower Autonomous Ship is an international effort led by marine research non-profit ProMare and IBM with support from partners around the world. The cutting-edge autonomous ship will gather environmental data a number of ways, but most notably by using an \"electronic tongue.\" Developed by IBM Research, the Hypertaste device will analyze ocean chemistry using an array chemical sensors. In support of this mission, MAS is equipped with a Thales VesseLINK™ 700 terminal powered by Iridium Certus to ensure the team onshore is able to maintain consistent communications and keep track of the autonomous vessel's location. Controlled by an onboard artificial intelligence informally known as AI Captain developed specifically for the project by IBM and MarineAI, real-time performance feedback, lo...