As the search to find the missing Titan submersible intensifies, a French robot capable of diving to extreme depths is on its way to help.
Oxygen on Titan is expected to have run out by early afternoon on Thursday, with rescue efforts to find the five people onboard in full force overnight.
The vessel lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
The 6.7m (22ft)-long OceanGate Expeditions vessel – which has British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood on board – reportedly had a 96-hour oxygen supply.
Also in the undersea craft are and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, reportedly with French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
One of the vessels sent to help search efforts is French research vessel L’Atalante which carries the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) known as Victor 6000.
The robot now has a limited window to provide assistance before the Thursday morning deadline when the missing submersible’s air supply is expected to run out.
How deep can Victor 6000 dive?
Victor can dive to 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) underwater.
It can dive deeper than other equipment now at the site in the North Atlantic and can go to a depth well below that of the Titanic’s wreckage, more than two miles down.
Watch: Coast Guard searching for Titan ‘where noises have been heard’
Does someone need to go down with it?
No – Victor is unmanned and remotely operated by a crew of 25 people.
According to Olivier Lefort, from Ifremer – a state-run French research institute that operates the robot – the crew can work non-stop for 72 hours without needing to stop at night.
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What are Victor 6000’s capabilities?
Victor is equipped with cameras that show operators the scene at extreme depths.
It is also equipped with manipulating arms that can cut cables or other items that may be blocking the Titan sub.
Victor is connected to parent ship L’Atalante by a five-mile long cable that provides it with electrical power – meaning that it could stay underwater for as long as is needed.
It is hoped that Victor would be able to release Titan if it is discovered and stuck in debris.
Can it lift Titan to the surface?
Titan weighs around 10 tonnes and while Victor can lift heavy objects, it is not able to lift the sub to the surface on its own.
However, it does have the capability to help hook Titan to a ship that does have the capacity to lift it to the surface.
Is Victor 6000 the only ROV helping the search?
The US Coast Guard is already using ROVs close to where Titan is thought to have gone missing.
Victor 6000 was brought to the search site at the request of the US Navy.
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