Autonomous Deep-Sea Robots to Lead New Search for Missing Flight MH370

Autonomous robots on the high seas to lead a new search for missing flight MH370

By Eric Sullivan edited by Claire Cameron

Malaysia restarts search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The nation sends ships and robots into one of the most isolated stretches of ocean on the planet in hopes of solving one of aviation’s most haunting mysteries.

The Boeing 777 plane disappeared in 2014 with 239 people on board. Starting Dec. 30, Texas-based seafloor mapping company Ocean Infinity will spend 55 days scanning a 15,000 square kilometer (about 5,800 square mile) swath of the southern Indian Ocean that investigators believe may contain the plane wreckage.

It’s a high-stakes mission: The “no find, no fee” deal means Malaysia could pay Ocean Infinity up to $70 million, but only if the company produces major wrecks. Authorities are keeping the precise target area secret, but say it is based on satellite “handshake” tracking data and careful reconstructions of how dozens of pieces of debris could have drifted across the Indian Ocean before washing up on shore.

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The company relies on a more mature generation of ocean technology: largely unmanned surface ships coordinating swarms of autonomous underwater vehicles that can hover a few dozen meters above the seafloor and map the terrain to a depth of nearly 6,000 meters with multi-beam sonar, sub-sea profilers and high-resolution imaging. Ocean Infinity claims its improved system can cover more ground at higher resolution and with a lower carbon footprint than traditional survey fleets.

The new research comes after years of fruitless searches. From 2014 to 2017, Malaysia, Australia and China searched 120,000 square kilometers of seabed, at a cost of around $155 million (more than $200 million today). In 2018, Ocean Infinity scanned more than 100,000 additional square kilometers. None of these campaigns made it possible to discover the main wreckage or the victims. Only three confirmed wing pieces were recovered.

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