SOCON is a proof-of-concept project to demonstrate the capability to construct low-cost autonomous nanosatellites – a.k.a. CubeSats – capable of producing high-resolution ocean color imagery. Its first spacecraft, SeaHawk, is only 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm (less than 4 in x 4 in x 12 in) in size and weighs less than 5 kg (11 lbs)! Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and led by University of North Carolina Wilmington, HawkEye data will be distributed through a free and open data distribution policy on NASA's OceanColor Web. In addition, SeaDAS software will be modified and made available for HawkEye image processing, display and analysis. SOCON's ultimate goal is to develop a constellation of SeaHawks that provide global measurements of ocean color. Such observations are essential to monitor the health of our living ocean and its ability to sustain important fisheries