Elon Musk’s network of low Earth orbit satellites could play a key role in the search for the missing Titanic submarine.
The vessel lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the wreck site at the bottom of the Atlantic, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, on Sunday.
There has been no contact from the sub since then, which has five people on board, even though it is designed to automatically resurface in the event of encountering any difficulties, reports The Daily Express US.
OceanGate Expeditions, which owns and operates the lost submarine, uses SpaceX’s Starlink system while in the ocean. The company tweeted on June 1: “Despite being in the middle of the North Atlantic, we have the internet connection we need to make our #Titanic dive operations a success – thank you@Starlink!”
READ MORE: Three reasons the missing Titanic submersible may never be found
David Pogue, who embarked on a voyage aboard the vessel last summer, expressed hope the sub has successfully reached the surface and is currently adrift.
Pogue emphasised the challenging circumstances faced by anyone inside the vessel, stating, “There’s no way to escape, even if you rise to the surface by yourself. You cannot get out of the sub without a crew on the outside letting you out.”
Among those aboard the missing sub is Hamish Harding, a 58-year-old British explorer and chairman of the aircraft firm Action Aviation.
Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman and trustee at the SETI Institute, along with his son Suleman, are also on board.
Additionally, Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, is believed to be part of the team.
A Facebook post by Harding prior to the dive indicates that 76-year-old French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet is also among the individuals aboard the sub.
Speaking at a press conference, Rear Admiral John W Mauger said the US Coast Guard working “as hard as possible” to find it.
He said: “We’re working as hard as possible bringing all assets to bear to try and find the submersible. We were notified yesterday afternoon.
“We began immediately to mobilise assets to search both the surface of the water, search from the air, and to detect any vessels under the water as well. We’ve had a comprehensive search to find these people.
“A frantic marine search is underway for a missing tourist submersible which has not been seen since it launched to take five people to the Titanic wreckage yesterday morning.”
