29th August 2025 (15 Topics)
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India’s Samudrayaan Deep-Sea Mission
Context:
India is preparing for its Samudrayaan Project, which will send humans in the Matsya-6000 submersible to explore ocean depths of up to 6,000 metres by 2027.
Samudrayaan Project:
- Part of India’s Deep Ocean Mission (approved in 2021), coordinated by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai. It aims to send aquanauts to depths of 6,000 m to explore uncharted mineral, biological, and energy resources on the ocean floor.
Matsya-6000 Submersible:
- Human-occupied vehicle with a titanium-alloy spherical crew module (diameter: 2.1 m) capable of sustaining 3 persons for 12 hours (and up to 96 hours in emergencies). The vehicle has 80 mm thick titanium walls to withstand pressure 600 times greater than surface level.
Objectives of the Mission:
- Develop deep-sea technologies including manned submersibles.
- Explore polymetallic nodules (containing nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, iron).
- Establish advanced marine stations for ocean biology and engineering research.
- Develop technologies for deriving energy and freshwater from oceans.
Challenges:
- Extreme environmental conditions (pressure, temperature, oxygen scarcity).
- Development of pressure-resistant spheres with precise electron-beam welding.
- Aquanaut health: strict physical and dietary discipline (no food/water intake during dive).
- Communication: normal radio waves fail underwater; acoustic communication is used. India is developing its indigenous acoustic technology.
Global Context:
- Only a few countries (US, Russia, China, France, Japan) currently possess deep-sea exploration capability. India aims to join this select group.
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