NASA has unveiled a design for a new submarine that will explore the methane seas of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

According to Phys.Org, NASA made the announcement at this year’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium (NIAC). The sub was designed by researchers from NASA’s Glenn Research Center and the Applied Research Lab.

The new submersible vehicle, dubbed the Titan Submarine Phase I Conceptual Design, will be used to explore the Kraken Mare, Titan’s largest sea, which is made of liquid methane.

“Data from probes has found that the sea covers approximately 154,000 square miles with depths as deep as 525 feet. The sea is not idle, either—it has currents and a tide, both of which could make keeping the sub safe from harm a serious challenge,” reports Phys.Org.

Despite the announcement of the sub’s design, NASA still has many issues to work out before they can ship it off to Titan. One potential problem with using a submarine on a distant planet is that communication will be significantly throttled beneath the sea’s surface, not to mention the vast distance between Earth and Saturn. NASA plans to side step the issue by having the sub surface every 16 hours to beam back data to Earth.

NASA envisions the sub being ready for implementation by 2040. They plan to get the sub to Titan using a winged spaceship that will crash into the Kraken Mare and release the craft in its depths, Phys.Org reports. That’s right. By 2040 we’re sending a space submarine to Titan. No biggie.

Studying Titan may lead to a better understanding of how life formed here on Earth.

(h/t Phys.Org)