News: Recently, as part of preparation for this Samudrayaan Project, two Indian “aquanauts” travelled in the French vessel Nautile in the Atlantic Ocean to gain deep-sea exploration experience.
About Samudrayaan Project
- The Samudrayaan Project is part of India’s Deep Ocean Mission, which was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2021.
- Agency involved: The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is the coordinating agency responsible for developing the submersible and associated technologies.
- Aim: To send three humans to a depth of 6,000 m in the ocean by the year 2027.
- Goal: To conduct surveys for mineral deposits, particularly polymetallic nodules that contain valuable materials such as nickel, cobalt, rare earth elements, manganese, and iron.
- Objectives of the Project
- It seeks to develop technologies for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles, and robotics, along with designing and deploying a crewed submersible.
- It also aims to study the impacts of climate change in the oceans and create advisory services based on models and observations.
- The project further intends to explore deep-sea biodiversity and develop technologies to conserve it.
- It also seeks to develop methods for generating energy and freshwater from the ocean and to establish an advanced marine station for ocean biology and engineering research.
- Feat: With this mission, India will join an elite group of countries that already have deep-sea exploration capabilities, namely the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and France.
About Matsya-6000 (The Submersible)
- The submersible being developed for the mission is called Matsya-6000.
- This vehicle will carry three aquanauts to the ocean depths.
- It has been designed with a personnel sphere of 2.1 metres in diameter to house the humans inside.
- The vehicle will be capable of sustaining three crew members for missions lasting up to 12 hours, and in case of emergencies, it can support life for up to 96 hours.
