Deepwater synthetic aperture sonar and the search for MH370

From October 2014 through June 2015, Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) and Hydrospheric Solutions, Inc. (Hydrospheric) worked together aboard M/V GO Phoenix supporting an international effort in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370). Using the SLH ProSAS-60, a 6,000 meter rated towed synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) system, developed by SL Hydrospheric, LLC, the Phoenix-Hydrospheric Team collected and analyzed over 150 terabytes of SAS data while surveying 13,295 square kilometers of seafloor. With this SAS technology, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) representatives were provided highly detailed imagery with up to 10 centimeter x 10 centimeter resolution - even at the outer edges of the system´s 2.0 km swath width. This degree of image resolution allowed ATSB investigators the ability to quickly and effectively “rule out” areas of seafloor scanned with the ProSAS-60. While the wreckage was not located, Phoenix and Hydrospheric personnel worked for over nine months in challenging conditions while successfully surveying assigned areas. Both Phoenix and Hydrospheric are deeply honored to have participated in this search and are eager for the day when the wreckage is located and the mystery of MH370 is solved.