India has announced the “Samudrayaan” mission, under which it is building its first crewed submersible for deep sea exploration and biodiversity assessment.
The latest mission, setting the country for a remarkable journey under the ocean, has been under development for nearly two years.
Overview
Indian Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju announced on Monday that the ‘MATSYA 6000’ submersible is under construction at the National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai.
Under its maiden crewed Deep Ocean Mission, ‘Samudrayaan,’ India plans to send three humans down to 6 km ocean depth in a submersible.
According to The Statesman, Matsya-6000 comes with an exceptional ability to withstand the crushing pressures of deep oceans for up to 12 hours. This can extend to up to 96 hours in case of dire emergencies.
The cost of the project over a five-year span stands at an estimated Rs 4,077 crore (~$491.5 million).
Among the mission’s primary objectives is to safeguard the delicate marine ecosystem even as it embarks on its journey of discovery.
The homegrown submersible will be in the pursuit of precious metals and minerals, notably cobalt, nickel, and manganese.
Blue Economy Vision
Making the announcement, the Union Minister said, “The project will not disturb the ocean ecosystem. The Deep Ocean Mission supports the ‘Blue Economy’ vision of PM.”
Under its Blue Economy policy, India intends to ensure an optimal utilisation of all sectors of the maritime domain, including living and non-living resources, tourism, and ocean energy, among others, for sustainable development of coastal areas.
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Just in line with the policy, the mission envisages sustainable utilisation of ocean resources for the country’s economic growth, improving livelihoods and jobs, and preserving ocean ecosystem health.
“Our Scientists, Researchers and Engineers are fully devoted to make the Deep Ocean Mission very successful in a sustainable manner,” Rijiju remarked.
Completion by 2026, Similarity to Titan
M Ravichandran, the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said, “We will be conducting sea trials at 500 meters depth in the first quarter of 2024.”
India Today reported that India expects to complete building the submersible by 2026.
The mission will position India among the exclusive club of nations with crewed submersible capabilities, including the US, Russia, Japan, France, and China.
The submersible will have a design resembling Oceangate’s Titan, which was in the news after it went missing and then imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean during its voyage to the Titanic resting place, killing all five people on board.
The initiative is just another indication that India wishes to strengthen its worldwide standing as a leader in science and technology, after it successfully conducted a soft-landing of its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 near the moon’s south pole and launched its first solar observatory, Aditya-L1.