(NewsNation) — The story of the OceanGate submersible that went missing on its way to the Titanic wreckage dominated public attention for days as the world waited for news of the five people lost more than 12,000 feet under the sea.
The saga began early morning June 18, when the sub lost communication an hour and 45 minutes into the dive. The public learned the sub likely imploded four days later, killing all onboard.
For days, a massive coordinated search looked for the vessel with help coming from Canada, the U.S., France and Britain. The international team searched from the air, on the water’s surface and in the ocean.
But as the presumed oxygen supply dwindled with each passing day, so did the hope of finding the passengers alive.
The airwaves were consumed with the search for the missing sub for days. So where are we now?
Firstly, OceanGate Expeditions has shuttered.
Its website says, “OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” and all social media accounts are gone.
Though the company no longer exists, a controversial relationship between Canada’s Memorial University and OceanGate has come to light in the past month.
The submersible company partnered with the school’s Marine Institute, striking a deal where the institute housed the sub in exchange for students working on OceanGate projects, potentially even diving in the Titan. The university says no student was ever onboard the Titan, and it would have reviewed OceanGate’s safety if that were to happen. But in light of what happened, the university is facing backlash for not properly vetting OceanGate.
The four-day search and following recovery effort cost an estimated $1.2 million, but no attempt is being made to recover those expenses.
The Coast Guard said OceanGate, in this case, will be treated the same as if a private citizen ran into trouble while out on the water.
Several days after the implosion was announced, the Coast Guard recovered evidence from the debris field, including the tail cone and human remains. The Coast Guard has not disclosed whether those remains have since been returned to the families.
“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence,” said Captain Jason Neubauer, who has been tasked with leading the investigation into what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board is also assisting in the investigation.
There is a one-year deadline to report the findings.
Meanwhile, science-based expeditions continue, with adventurers and thrill seekers undeterred.
Guillermo Söhnlein, co-founder of OceanGate, who worked hand-in-hand with Stockton Rush
to start deep-sea expeditions, is soaring to his latest venture: Humans2Venus.
The 900-degree planet is not inhabitable yet, but he dreams of 1,000 people traveling to and living in Venus’ sulfuric acid clouds by 2050.
Founder of SpaceVIP Roman Chiporukha thinks there is a market for space travel as a way to advance our technology and sense of adventure at the same time.
“People are looking to be more adventurous and to realize all of these things sooner rather than later. Space and deep-sea expeditions are certainly much more interesting because the technology is there today,” Chiporukha said.