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‘Samudrayaan’: India’s First Manned Deep Ocean Mission To Be Launched by 2026

Last updated on May 16th, 2025 Posted on May 16, 2025 by NEXT IAS Current Affairs Team  708

Syllabus: GS3/ S&T

In News

  • India is set to launch its first manned deep-ocean mission, ‘Samudrayaan’, by 2026, aiming to explore marine resources at a depth of 6,000 metres using the indigenously developed submersible ‘Matsya’.

About Samudrayaan Mission

  • The Samudrayaan Mission is part of the manned Deep Ocean Mission.
  • It would have MATSYA 6000,  a indigenously designed 4th generation manned submersible vehicle capable of carrying three people to a depth of 6,000 meters.
  • It is being developed by National Institute of Ocean Technology (Chennai).
  • MATSYA 6000 has an operational endurance of 12 hours and an emergency endurance of 96 hours.
  • India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi will be used to deploy and recover the MATSYA 6000.

Significance of the Mission

  • Scientific Research: Enables collection of deep-sea samples, critical for understanding marine biodiversity, geology, and chemistry.
  • Resource Exploration: Potential for assessment of living (marine biodiversity) and non-living resources (minerals, polymetallic nodules).
  • Technology Demonstration: Showcases indigenous capability in high-pressure deep-sea engineering.
  • Tourism Potential: May lay foundation for future deep-sea tourism.
  • Strategic Capability: Enhances India’s presence in global ocean research and resource diplomacy.
  • League of Nations: With this mission, India will join a select group of nations (the US, Russia, France, Japan, and China) that have the technology and capabilities for manned deep-sea exploration.

About Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

  • The Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) was launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences in 2021, and aims to explore and harness deep-sea resources in a sustainable and technologically advanced manner. 
  • With a ₹4,077 crore outlay over five years, DOM supports India’s Blue Economy and aligns with SDG-14 (Life Below Water).
  • The mission is being spearheaded by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and comprises six components:
    • Manned Submersible Development (Samudrayaan).
    • Deep-sea Biodiversity Exploration
    • Mining Polymetallic Nodules
    • Ocean Climate Advisory Services 
    • Marine Station for Ocean Biology to promote research
    • Advanced Ocean Observation Systems using underwater sensors and AI.

Source: HT

 
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