Sentinel mission marks new era in global ocean observation

In a world-first for marine science and technology, Teledyne Marine, in collaboration with Rutgers University–New Brunswick, is undertaking a pioneering mission to circumnavigate the globe with an autonomous underwater glider.

Using Teledyne’s Redwing, the most advanced commercial subsea glider ever developed, the near five-year Sentinel Mission departed on 10 October 2025 following a ceremony at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which operates the second-largest glider fleet in the world.

Launched from the edge of the continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, the next-generation Slocum Sentinel Glider will collect unprecedented data on ocean currents, sea temperature and their influence on weather systems and the planet. The information gathered will help refine weather models, improve hurricane intensity forecasting and inform global ocean policy and conservation efforts.

“This is a truly historic mission,” said Brian Maguire, COO at Teledyne Marine. “It will pave the way for a future where a global fleet of autonomous underwater gliders will be able to continuously sample our oceans. These gliders will deliver early warnings of extreme weather and will track the impact of shifting ocean currents so that we can refine long-term weather projections in a way that scientists have dreamed of for decades.

“It will also prove that long-range, next-generation, low-energy autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are capable of carrying more complex, heavier and increasingly energy-hungry sensors on missions that we could only have imagined previously.”

Honouring a legacy of innovation

The Sentinel Mission represents the culmination of a vision first imagined by glider inventor Doug Webb, who pioneered autonomous ocean vehicles at Teledyne Webb Research. Serving as both a tribute to Webb – who passed away in 2024 at the age of 94 – and as a response to the growing need for global ocean monitoring, the mission continues his legacy of innovation beneath the waves.

Specially built for the mission, Redwing (an acronym for Research & Education Doug Webb Inter-National Glider) will ride global ocean currents on its epic journey, collecting critical data from under-sampled and remote regions of the world.

Journey around the planet

Redwing’s first leg will follow the Gulf Stream south of Martha’s Vineyard towards Europe before continuing to Gran Canaria off the north-west coast of Africa. From there, it will travel to Cape Town, cross the Indian Ocean to Perth, and then head to Wellington, New Zealand. The glider will then navigate the Antarctic Circumpolar Current – the most powerful current on Earth – on its longest leg to the Falkland Islands. Potential stops in Brazil and the Caribbean will follow before Redwing returns to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Real-time data for a changing ocean

Surfacing every 8-12 hours to transmit data via satellite, Redwing will deliver real-time information on ocean temperature, salinity, currents and overall ocean health through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) global monitoring system. The data will be openly accessible to scientists, oceanographers, meteorologists, universities and even schools worldwide, fostering international engagement and education.

Hea Quinn, Sentinel Mission project lead and Slocum Glider product line manager, explained: “As we travel through the layers of the ocean, which move over and under each other in different directions, we will gather data on water temperature and density and pick up pings from tagged marine life.

“We’ll be able to see what’s happening at the surface and deeper underwater where huge patches of cold water and warm water move. This data will help us to show, for example, where a hurricane is going to go next and how intense it’s going to be. We’ll also build better knowledge about the impact of ocean currents on our weather patterns, informing global ocean models of the future, and our understanding of long-term climate change.”

Supported by partners from Spain, Gran Canaria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the UK and the US, the Sentinel Mission is a truly international undertaking that bridges technology, science and collaboration.

Students at the helm

Teledyne Marine engineers are working closely with more than 50 Rutgers University students at the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (COOL), who helped programme the navigation software that will guide Redwing across the world’s oceans. Together, they will track the glider from shared mission control centres and make necessary adjustments to its route each time it surfaces during its 73,000km journey.

“This is a pivotal moment for ocean science,” said Scott Glenn, distinguished professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers. “We’re deploying an autonomous glider that will travel the world’s oceans, gathering data. And we’re doing it with students, educators and international collaborators every step of the way.”

Oscar Schofield, distinguished professor in the same department, added: “There’s no doubt in my mind that this mission will not only shape our understanding of the oceans and their impact on the climate in a new way, but will also change the future of autonomous ocean exploration.

“Fittingly, it will also realize a piece of science fiction written by Henry Stommel of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that appeared in Oceanography Magazine in 1989. This foresaw an international race between three Slocum Sentinel gliders to circumnavigate the globe first, and a time when there would be a fleet of underwater gliders taking part in missions around the world.”