‘DEEP’ to launch underwater habitat Vanguard

UK-based ocean engineering firm DEEP plans to deploy its first underwater human habitat, Vanguard, by the end of 2025 as a pilot for sustained subsea presence. The 3D-printed habitat, under construction in Florida as part of DEEP’s $100 million U.S. expansion, is designed to accommodate four scientists for up to a week and could become the first subsea human habitat certified by DNV. Vanguard will validate technologies, life‑support systems and operational procedures ahead of a larger modular system, Sentinel, slated for 2027; Sentinel is intended to support comfortable stays to depths of 200 metres for up to 28 days and will feature a moon pool to allow direct access to the seabed and reduce transit time for divers.

DEEP says Vanguard will support scientific research, environmental monitoring, coral restoration, technical diving and even spaceflight training simulations, and forms part of a longer-term mission to normalise human activity beneath the waves to address climate, biodiversity and exploration challenges. Construction partners include Triton Submarines, Bastion Technologies and Unique Group, while a Houston manufacturing facility will use Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing to produce large metal components for Vanguard and future modules.

The habitat’s design combines ambient‑pressure living zones for saturation diving and atmospheric‑pressure chambers for non‑divers and transfers, incorporating moon pools, hatches and modular docking interfaces for flexibility and future expansion. Modular mounting on steel frameworks and anchors will allow relocation or addition of modules—an approach DEEP argues improves on fixed, single‑use habitats of past decades.

DEEP frames Vanguard as a proof of concept to shift underwater habitation from experimental demonstration to practical, repeatable infrastructure. Company officials say the project aims to foster wider public engagement with ocean stewardship. While DEEP acknowledges remaining technical, safety and logistical challenges, Vanguard’s imminent deployment and planned Sentinel follow‑on mark a notable push toward continuous human presence under the sea.