Titan, the submersible craft that went missing with its crew Saturday near the site of the sunken Titanic, was developed with the help of engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

The company “worked in consultation with a team of engineers at (NASA Marshall) in Huntsville, Alabama throughout the development and manufacturing of Titan, the world’s only carbon fiber and titanium submersible capable of carrying five crew members to the wreck of the RMS Titanic at 3,800 meters,” OceanGate Expeditions of Everett, Wash., said in a March 9, 2022 announcement. “This achievement marks the beginning of a new era of exploration offering a vast range of opportunities for deep-sea investigation and scientific research.”

The deal worked for both sides because NASA wants strong, light and inflatable vehicles that can survive the vacuum of space on the long voyages to Mars, and OceanGate wants vehicles can survive the pressure of the ocean depths. The two signed their partnership agreement on Feb. 26, 2020.

NASA Marshall brought to the table advanced composite manufacturing ability “ideally suited for the high precision and high-quality requirements of our latest hull design,” OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush said when the agreement was announced.

John Vickers, NASA’s principal technologist for advanced manufacturing theory, said the agency was looking to “not only further our deep space exploration goals, but also improve materials and manufacturing for American industry.”

The partnership was possible because of the Space Act of 1958 that allows the government space agency to “stimulate private companies developing systems that could help in transporting cargo and crew to space.” Reimbursable Space Act agreements let companies use NASA’s facilities, people and equipment for their benefit. The space agency normally collects the full cost of the use.

OceanGate isn’t the only company partnering with NASA to share these skills and facilities. Space company, Sierra Space, tested one of its inflatable structures to a dramatic point of failure in February.