SeaOrbiter
SeaOrbiter
SeaOrbiter

SeaOrbiter

International Oceanic Station

A World Premiere

A model of scientific and societal universality

 

Just as the International Space Station was built on the promise of scientific and technological cooperation between the USA, Europe and Russia at the time, SeaOrbiter wishes to bring together, around its concept and its missions, the set of planetary communities whose ocean, directly or indirectly, conditions the future. Alike France, which heavily promotes the principle of the Ocean as « Common Good of Humanity », SeaOrbiter will welcome researchers from all over the world and allow sharing of discoveries as a fundamental principle of its action. In the same spirit, SeaOrbiter will offer its perspective to players from all countries, of all ages and of all social origins and, thanks to the means of communication and education available today, will help to build, across the planet, a community responsible and invested in the preservation of the ocean and its priceless resources.

 

 

An International Oceanic Station, SeaOrbiter, the marine research platform of the future, is the epitome of innovation, exploration and inspiration serving the Ocean, Space and Blue Society.

 

SeaOrbiter, thanks to its ability to promote innovation in multiple sectors as in many other technological and industrial areas, thanks to its international ambitions and thanks to its vision in terms of development and inspiration for young generations, has the vocation to become a universal symbol on the major issues that link the ocean and human societies: a « Blue Economy » accelerator to build a true « Blue Society ».

SeaOrbiter is the only manned vessel in the world allowing a 24/7 exploration on long-term missions of the open sea and the abyss. Inspired by Nature, it has been designed based on biomimicry principles, using the imitation of models, systems and elements of nature in order to create a symbiotic slow pace drifting vessel.

A MOBILE UNDERSEA HABITAT

SeaOrbiter is a nomadic underwater home able to host 18 to 22 crew members to observe, listen to and study marine ecosystems 24/7 on long-term scientific missions lasting over 6 months. It enables its crew to live in symbiosis with marine animals in the midst of the oceans.

A PERMANENT SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY

SeaOrbiter is a scientific platform that gives us a direct insight into the ecosystem of the open ocean, thanks to its capabilities of uninterrupted continuous observation and analysis of physiochemical parameters. The vessel is designed to evolve in a quiescent mode to better capture a great variety of physical and ecological data.

A MULTI PURPOSE UNDERWATER BASE

SeaOrbiter allows conducting experiments in a complex and confined extreme environment and to undertake permanent and direct exists into the aquatic realm at -12m below the surface. It deploys vehicles and devices for exploring the deep ocean down to 6000m. Due to its similarities with the life conditions found in space, SeaOrbiter provides a space simulator.

AN EDUCATIONAL AND A GLOBAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORM

SeaOrbiter is a multimedia communication platform producing a constant flow of educational programs and information for the public. With its integrated multimedia production unit and its real-time communication capabilities, SeaOrbiter is able to share the adventures and discoveries directly with the world in real-time.

“It is from the ocean that will be born the destiny of civilizations to come.”

– JACQUES ROUGERIE

Anatomy

+18.50 Lock out +11.50 Boats storage +9.40 Upper deck for sea operations,engine rooms and storage +6.80 Diving room and scientific wet lab +4.20 Command bridge Multidisciplinary modular laboratory,medical zone and fitness area +1.60 Bunks area and captain's room -1.00 Bunks area and VIP cabin -3.60 Communication zone and sanitary area -6.20 -8.80 -11.60 Living quarters in atmospheric pressure Living quarters in pressurized mode,underwater garage and diving zone

Origins

Today. SeaOrbiter

SeaOrbiter is a synthesis of all of the vessels and mobile underwater homes that Jacques Rougerie has designed and built. The concept is characterized by innovating new technologies and the creative genius of its designer, which result in an unheard boldness of live marine environment observation.

1988. La Chalupa

In 1992, Richard Presley (USA) spent 69 days and 19 min in La Chalupa research laboratory, an underwater module built by famous undersea pioneer Ian Koblick and set at a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. The test was carried out as part of a mission entitled Project Atlantis which had as its aim to explore the human factors of living in an undersea. On that occasion Jacques Rougerie and his friend Jean-Loup Chrétien, at that time still a NASA astronaut, came to visit along with Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Titov.

1982. Aquaspace

Launched in 1982, this trimaran allows 12-18 people to observe the underwater fauna and flora continuously from an observation deck below the waterline. Still in use around the Netherlands Antilles, Aquaspace pioneered a new concept in marine biology studies from the surface.

1979. Aquascope

This semi-submersible trimaran designed for underwater leisure observation operates on a variable buoyancy principle, which delivers exceptional underwater views through its large panoramic portholes. A series of 25 Aquascopes were built and some are still sailing today.

1977. Galathée

The first underwater house built by Jacques Rougerie was launched and immersed in 1977. The unique feature of this habitat-laboratory is that it can be moored at any depth between 9m and 60m, which gives it the capability of phased integration in the marine environment.

1961. Trieste

It’s onboard Trieste, a bathyscaphe developed by his father Auguste Piccard, that Jacques Piccard carried out, on January 23, 1960, along with capt. Don Walsh, an officer in the US Navy, a dive down to 10 916 m at the heart of the Mariana trench in the western Pacific, setting the world record for the deepest dive in history. This record, which still has not been beaten, was a decisive step in exploring our oceans and whose impact was planetary.

1956. Calypso

Jacques-Yves Cousteau introduced us to the Silent World through the prism of television, which gave him an audience and international acclaim. In this way the Merien community swelled as the Calypso pursued its adventures in all the oceans of the world.

1870. Nautilus

His novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” was undoubtedly the first catalyst for a community known as the Meriens, mustered symbolically behind the Nautilus.

Jacques Rougerie

The original idea and design of SeaOrbiter are created by the world-renowned French architect Jacques Rougerie. SeaOrbiter continues the legacy of Jules Verne, Jacques Piccard and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, exceptional visionaries who have influenced Jacques Rougerie in his 35 years of research.

Jean-Loup Chrétien

The first Frenchman and the first European in space, Jean-Loup Chrétien has three space flights on his name. The long-time friend of Jacques Rougerie has been notably instrumental in getting the space agencies, particularly NASA, on board with the SeaOrbiter project, initiating the link between space and the ocean which is now at the heart of the SeaOrbiter program.

1981. Hippocampe

This underwater habitat was launched in 1981 to act as a scientific base suspended in midwater, using the same method as Galathée. Hippocampe can accommodate 2 people on saturation dives up to a depth of 12m.

1978. Aquabulle

Launched for the first time in March 1978, this underwater shelter suspended in midwater (between 0 and 60 meters) is a mini scientific observatory 2.8 meters high by 2.5 meters in diameter. The Aquabulle can accommodate 3 people for a period of several hours and acts as an underwater refuge. A series of Aquabulles were later built and some are still being used by laboratories.

1973. Underwater village

In 1973, Jacques Rougerie imagined a submerged village where men can live beneath the sea. The village was designed to accommodate aquanauts and astronauts. Its biomimetic architecture was later adapted to the study and management of sub-aquatic resources.

Jacques Piccard

Son of the famous Auguste Piccard who pioneered the stratospheric balloon, Jacques Piccard was one of the greatest explorers of the ocean abysses of the 20th century. Piccard together with Jacques Rougerie would go on to develop the idea of a drifting vessel which culminated in the birth of SeaOrbiter.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

The father of modern diving, Jacques-Yves Cousteau was on one the three famous “Mousquemers” (musketeers of the sea). Together they popularized diving and opened up the underwater world to the wide public, Cousteau in particular taking the route to cinema and television. He was the first to install houses on the seabed, inspiring Jacques Rougerie in his creations.

Jules Verne

Jules Verne’s vision on how technology could allow people to move freely in the undersea world had a powerful influence on Jacques Rougerie, who adopted the maxim of this great writer:

Anything one man can imagine, other men are capable of realizing”

 

Planetary Challenges

The Ocean Is At The Heart Of Our Planet

The Ocean Regulates Our Climate

71%
The Earth’s surface
97%
The volume of ALL water
80%
Up of the Earth’s life is under the Ocean’s surface
30%
Absorbs of CO2 produced by humans
85%
Produces of oxygen
90%
Stores additional heat

The Ocean Feeds Us

The Ocean Remains Largely Unknow

2.6 billion
People depend on the Ocean as their primary source of protein
3 billion
People depend on marine & coastal biodiversity for their livelyhoods
90%
Of global fish stocks are over or fully exploited 6
95%
Of the Ocean still unexplored
85%
Of marine biodiversity undiscovered
90%
Of marine resources unexploited

The Ocean Is A Source Of Global Wealth

A Unique Opportunity For A New Emerging Blue Society

24 trillion
US$ of estimated key Ocean assets
2.5 trillion
US$ of annual value in goods and services
7th ranking
If compared with the world’s top 10 economies
95%
Of exported goods in the world are transported by sea
200 million
People employed by maritime fishery sector
80%
Of future jobs are yet to be created

Program

01 / SCIENCE

SeaOrbiter’s contribution to science will encompass a wide spectrum of scientific fields and allow scientists to better understand its links with the atmosphere and the planet’s climate. It will also provide opportunities to discover new species and new molecules that will allow enhancing new marine wealth that will tomorrow be a source of innovation and progress.

02 / EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Through producing a constant flow of educational programs and information for the public, SeaOrbiter will enable a better understanding of the Ocean’s critical role within our planetary system, notably in the context of global warming and its many impacts on the Ocean, its balance, its biodiverity and its related human and socio-economic communities.

03 / AWARENESS & PROTECTION

While exploring the wonders of nature that lie in the heart of the Ocean SeaOrbiter’s mission is to inform the public on the vulnerability of the oceanic ecosystems and induce action towards their preservation and a more responsible and sustainable use of the Ocean’s resources. It will thus embrace the idea of the Ocean as a common good for Humanity.

Team

Ambassadors & Advisors

  • H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco
    H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco

    The SeaOrbiter is an extraordinary tool which will give the public a new perspective of the oceans and the underwater environment.”

     

    • Dan GOLDIN
      Dan GOLDINAmbassador and Advisor for US Strategy, International Scientific Strategy and Relations with the Space Agencies

      NASA administrator from 1992 to 2001, Daniel S. Goldin is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Intellisis Corporation, a company developing a new generation of intelligent information systems.

      • Sylvia EARLE
        Sylvia EARLEAmbassador and Advisor for Oceanic Exploration

        A world renowned American oceanographer Sylvia Earle was the first female chief scientist at NOAA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Since 1998 she has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.

        • Jean Loup CHRETIEN
          Jean Loup CHRETIENAmbassador and Space Advisor

          The first French astronaut in space, Jean-Loup Chrétien has made three space flights, two with Russia and one with NASA on board the space shuttle Atlantis.

          • Thierry PILENKO
            Thierry PILENKOAmbassador and Advisor for Industrial Strategy

            Thierry Pilenko is the President and CEO of Technip. Since April 2012, Thierry Pilenko has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Peugeot S.A. He serves on the Board of Hercules Offshore (United States).

            • Francis VALLAT
              Francis VALLATAmbassador and Advisor for the Maritime Sector

              Francis Vallat established the French Maritime Cluster (an umbrella organization of 260 maritime companies and professional associations) and chairs the European Network of Maritime Clusters. He also chaired the French Institute of the Sea for 10 years.

              • Jean-Michel COUSTEAU
                Jean-Michel COUSTEAUAmbassador and Advisor for Marine Environment

                Jean-Michel Cousteau is an environmentalist, educator and film producer and has devoted his life to sharing people of all nations his passion and concern for the ocean. He is the President of Green Cross France et Territoires and Co-President of the World Ocean Network.

                • Jean-François CLERVOY
                  Jean-François CLERVOYAmbassador and Advisor for Activities in Space and Extreme Environments

                  Jean-François Clervoy is a senior astronaut at ESA having travelled in space three times and the CEO of Novespace, a company organizing parabolic flight campaigns.

                  International Scientific Board

                  • Charles KENNEL
                    Charles KENNELAmbassador and Advisor for Scientific Research

                    Charles Kennel is an American scientist and member of the United States National Academy of Sciences. He’s also an Emeritus Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He received the James Clerk Maxwell Prize in Plasma Physics in 1997.

                    • Gilles BOEUF
                      Gilles BOEUFAmbassador and Scientific and Ethics Advisor

                      Gilles Boeuf is the President of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. He is a member of the Scientific Council of Natural Patrimony and Biodiversity of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

                      • Gabriel GORSKY
                        Gabriel GORSKYAmbassador and Scientific Advisor for Plankton Ecology

                        Gabriel Gorsky is the Operational Oceanography Coordinator of the TARA Ocean Expeditions. He has lead and taken part in 35 international oceanographic cruises. He’s also the coordinator of the EURAPP EU program.

                        • Martin BENISTON
                          Martin BENISTONScientific Advisor for Climate

                          Martin Beniston is a professor, Chair for Climate Research and Director of the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Beniston is a former vice-chair of IPCC WGII-C. The IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

                          • Philippe VALLETTE
                            Philippe VALLETTEAmbassador and Advisor for Education, International Organization and the Blue Society

                            Philippe Vallette is the General Manager of the National Sea Centre NAUSICAA in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Co-Chair of the World Ocean Network, and the President of the World Festival of Underwater Pictures.

                            • Nardo VICENTE
                              Nardo VICENTEAmbassador and Advisor for the Mediterranean

                              Nardo Vincente has been the Scientific Officer of Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute on the island of Embiez since 1972; he is also the General Delegate. He’s an Emeritus Professor of Marine Sciences at Aix Marseille University.

                              Studies & Tests

                              Current extensive engineering studies cover SeaOrbiter’s propulsion capacity, autonomy and range; the definition of the modes of energy supply, conversion, and storage with an emphasis on renewable sources; the optimization of the space dedicated to the living areas, laboratories and aquanaut facilities; the design of the ballasting system and the retractable keel; and the satisfaction of the sea-keeping and safety requirements in due cooperation with the relevant certification and maritime authorities.

                              The Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute MARINTEK conducted tank tests with a 1/15 SeaOrbiter scale model that validated the design concept. Advanced theoretical studies and hydrodynamic tests were carried out at MARINTEK to improve SeaOrbiter’s sea keeping performance and to optimize its behavior in waves and wind. Following basic design studies have been conducted by Principia then D2M and are currently under suppervision of Bureau Veritas Solutions (BVS)

                              The Eye of SeaOrbiter

                              The Eye of SeaOrbiter, a full size test model of the upper part of the vessel, was successfully completed in the shipyard ACCO in May 2015. The construction was part of a crowdfunding campaign that was organized to raise public interest and that reached nearly €345 000 – 106% of the inital campaign target.

                              Out of the vessel’s total height of 58m, the Eye of SeaOrbiter stands at 18,5m above the waterline. It is designed to host the lookout post as well as radio and communication systems.

                              News

                              MEDIA & FOLLOWING

                              0
                              RADIO REFERENCES
                              0
                              ARTICLES
                              0
                              TV PROGRAMS
                              0
                              GOOGLE RESULTS
                              0
                              COUNTRIES
                              0
                              MILLION EXPECTED FOLLOWERS
                              PHOTOS

                              VIDEO

                              BOOKLET

                              PRESS BOOK

                              Become a Partner

                              Giving SeaOrbiter’s unique concept, innovative features and the nature of its program that encompasses technology, science, education & communication, awareness & responsibility, SeaOrbiter could equally be an intelligent tool dedicated to your challenges.

                              SUSTAINABLE VALUES
                              100%
                              R&D
                              100%
                              BLUE ECONOMY
                              100%
                              AWARENESS
                              100%
                              INNOVATION
                              100%
                              CSR
                              100%
                              COMMITMENT
                              100%
                              NETWORKING
                              100%

                              THEY ARE ALREADY ON BOARD

                              SeaOrbiter
                              Péniche Saint Paul
                              Port des Champs-Élysées
                              75008 Paris
                              France
                              rougerie@rougerie.com
                              +33 1 42 66 53 37

                              Send us a Message