The submersible to be used in the expedition, the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor, is fully operational. It has already been tested multiple times in the open ocean to 5,000 meters and is technically rated to 11,000 meters (36,000 feet or full ocean depth, “FOD”). The “LF” was designed, built, and tested primarily in the United States but many components were assembled and tested in other locations around the world. It was the desire of the expedition’s financial sponsor, Caladan Oceanic, to keep the vessel’s three-year design and construction effort strictly confidential until it had been fully tested and ready to begin its journey.