India’s First Manned Ocean Mission ‘Samudrayan’ Launched

• 30 Oct 2021

On 29th October 2021, India’s First Manned Ocean Mission ‘Samudrayan’ was launched at Chennai.

• With this, India joined the elite club of nations such as USA, Russia, Japan, France and China to have such underwater vehicles for carrying out subsea activities.
• This technology will facilitate Ministry of Earth Sciences, MoES in carrying out deep ocean exploration of the non-living resources such as polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydro-thermal sulphides and cobalt crusts, located at a depth between 1000 and 5500 meters.

About the Submersible Vehicle

• The preliminary design of the manned submersible ‘MATSYA 6000’ is completed and realization of vehicle is started with various organization including ISRO, IITM and DRDO roped-in to support the development.
• Sea trials of 500 metre rated shallow water version of the manned submersible are expected to take place in the last quarter of 2022 and the ‘MATSYA 6000’, the deep water manned submersible will be ready for trials by the second quarter of 2024.
• MoES-NIOT is indigenously developing a manned submersible with a depth capability of 6000 meters under the aegis of Deep Ocean Mission.
• The manned submersible is designed to carry three persons in 2.1 meter diameter Titanium Alloy Personnel Sphere with an operational endurance of 12h and systems to support emergency endurance up to 96h.