By R Anil Kumar
- India is gearing up for a historic Deep Ocean Mission to explore and harness the depths of the ocean, a frontier that remains largely uncharted and holds immense potential for scientific and economic benefits.
- Maiden wet test of SAMUDRAYAAN MISSION scheduled in the last week of October.
- Deep Ocean Mission is an ambitious initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, which aims to develop technologies and capabilities for deep sea exploration.
Bengaluru, October 10. The Union Government is set to undertake the maiden wet test of the manned ocean mission, by the end of October, a first giant step towards the launch of Country’s ambitious SAMUDRAYAAN MISSION in 2026, to explore the depths of the ocean.
The wet test of the manned ocean mission, SAMUDRAYAAN, set to take place at the Chennai harbour aims to evaluate Matsya-6000, a deep submergence Vehicle intended for deep sea exploration of rare minerals.
The SAMUDRAYAAN MISSION approved by GOI, in 2021 involves a 3-member crew trained by the Institute of Naval Medicine.
The wet test conducted at a depth of 15 meters will evaluate the performance of Matsya-6000 in real underwater conditions.
The Mission approved by PM Narendra Modi, chaired Union Cabinet in 2021 at a cost of Rs. 4,077 crores, over a period of 5 years, will witness various missions such as a shallow water test in 2025 and unmanned deep sea tests in 2026, apart from the wet test scheduled by the end of this month.
SAMUDRAYAAN, is one of the 9 missions under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC). It is imperative that the Mission Supports the blue-economy priority area, blue-trade and blue-manufacturing in India.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), have recently announced the successful integration of the submersible.
The submergence Vehicle is designed to dive to the depth of 6,000 meters (6Kms) below the sea level, is intended to be utilised for deep-sea exploration of rare minerals and other ocean biodiversity resources.
The deep -diving submersible will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including advanced life Support Systems, navigation equipments, robotic arms for sample collection and high resolution imaging System.
The missions has immediate spin-offs in the form of underwater engineering innovations in asset inspection, tourism and promotion of Ocean literacy.
This remarkable endeavour aligns perfectly with PM Narendra Modi’s Blue-Economy vision which focuses on the sustainable utilisation of the ocean resources to bolster India’s Economic growth, create jobs and livelihoods and safeguard the overall health of the ocean ecosystem.
