Underwater search for MH370 postponed for at least 2 months

After two grueling months with no word from their loved ones, relatives of those on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will have to wait two more months before the search resumes underwater, CNN reported.

The Bluefin-21 drone is completing its final mission in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, marking the end of the underwater hunt -- for now.

With no tangible evidence found by the drone, which costs an estimated $40,000 a day to operate, search officials are regrouping and preparing to deploy more high-tech equipment.

Only a handful of companies have such devices, which will likely include towed sonar, an autonomous underwater vehicle with mounted sonar and optical imaging equipment, Australian officials said.

Soliciting those companies and negotiating contracts will take time, and officials have said they want a single private contractor to lead the next stage of the search.

That phase, which aims to scour 60,000 square kilometers, probably won't start for at least two months. The cost? About $60 million.