Abaca Press/Reuters
OceanGate Expeditions said that it uses Elon Musk’s Starlink for its internet.
It is unknown if Starlink played any role in the Titan’s disappearance or loss of communications.
Musk hasn’t commented on the matter.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company whose submersible has gone missing, tweeted a shout-out to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites earlier this month — but Musk has yet to comment on the ongoing situation.
On Sunday, five people in a sub called the Titan lost communication with the Canadian research ship The Polar Prince two hours into their descent to the RMS Titanic. A joint effort between US and Canadian military forces is underway, and the US Coast Guard estimates the craft will run out of breathable air by Thursday afternoon Eastern Time.
Three weeks before the mission, the company tweeted that Starlink, a global internet service provider with a goal of providing internet to remote areas, helped the company with its exploration operations in the middle of the ocean.
“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!” the official OceanGate Expeditions Twitter wrote.
The official Starlink Twitter account later liked the tweet.
It is unknown if Starlink played any role in the Titan’s disappearance or loss of communications or if it was used on this mission, the submersible, or The Polar Prince. It is also unclear if SpaceX, the company behind Starlink, and OceanGate, have any financial or business ties.
Despite users pointing out this connection online, neither Starlink nor Musk have spoken about the missing passengers on the Titan, nor clarified if there was a relationship between OceanGate and Starlink.
OceanGate Expeditions, which allows tourists to pay $250,000 for an eight-day exploration of the remains of the Titanic and has had two previous expeditions, is currently under fire for flouting safety rules before Sunday’s expedition.
The maker of the Titan previously admitted the vessel wasn’t checked to see if it was up to standards by independent groups like the American Bureau of Shipping. At the same time, the CEO complained about the industry being “obscenely safe.” Meanwhile, the company faced a previous safety lawsuit from a former employee who argued that the vessel would be dangerous to passengers.
CBS News Correspondent David Pogue, who reported about OceanGate during a 2022 Titanic exploration, said on Twitter Monday that a similar situation — where crew on the surface lost the location of the submersible — occurred. Although the vessel’s location was unknown, Pogue said crewmembers could “still send short texts to the sub, but did not know where it was.” Pogue also detailed the incident on his podcast “Unsung Science.”
Pogue said the company shut off the internet to prevent reporters from tweeting about the incident.
Musk, meanwhile, has been tweeting about Ivermectin, Starlink in Rwanda, and vaccine misinformation.
Representatives for Starlink and OceanGate did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.