So far, the U.S., Russia, China, France and Japan have carried out successful deep-ocean crewed missions

The Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) is India’s ambitious quest to explore and harness the depths of the ocean. As part of this initiative, India will, for the first time, embark on a journey to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean using an indigenously developed submersible with a three-member crew. The mission will require technologies to access and transport tonnes of valuable minerals from the ocean-bed in an environmentally safe manner. The following interview, with M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, breaks down the mission and its salient features and challenges. It was conducted by Bhavya Khanna, a scientist in the Ministry.


DOM is India’s ambitious program, chiefly implemented by the MoES. DOM was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2021 at a cost of nearly ₹4,077 crore over a five-year period in a phased manner.

The mission has six pillars:

(a) Development of technologies for deep-sea mining and a manned submersible to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean. The submersible will be equipped with a suite of scientific sensors, tools and an integrated system for mining polymetallic nodules from the central Indian Ocean; ISRO developed the design of the crewed submersible capsule capable of travelling 6,000 m deep for the mission;

(b) Development of ocean climate change advisory services, involving an array of ocean observations and models to understand and provide future climate projections;

(c) Technological innovations for the exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity;

(d Deep-ocean survey and exploration aimed at identifying potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal sulphides mineralisation along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges;

(e) Harnessing energy and freshwater from the ocean; and

(f) Establishing an advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology, as a hub for nurturing talent and driving new opportunities in ocean biology and blue biotechnology.

Here are the Key details of Samudrayaan Mission:

Objective:

The primary goal of Samudrayaan is to explore the deep ocean resources and biodiversity.

It aims to send a manned submersible to a remarkable depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean.

Key Features:

Manned Submersible: The project involves developing a self-propelled manned submersible called MATSYA 6000.

Scientific Sensors and Tools: MATSYA-6000 will carry a suite of scientific sensors and tools for deep ocean exploration.

Endurance: It has an operational endurance of 12 hours and can sustain up to 96 hours in case of emergencies.

Recent Progress:

The Ocean Mineral Explorer (OMe 6000), a deep water Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), was deployed during December 2022.

The AUV explored the Polymetallic Manganese Nodule (PMN) site at a depth of 5,271 meters in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).

The survey covered an area of approximately 14 square kilometers, providing high-resolution seabed features and insights into resource potential.

Additionally, high-resolution cameras mapped a 1 km x 0.5 km area, revealing manganese nodule distributions and deep-sea biodiversity.

Budget And Timeline:

The Deep Ocean Mission was approved by the Cabinet with an estimated cost of ₹4,077 crores for two phases (2021-2026).

So far, ₹1,400 crore has been allocated, with ₹405.92 crores disbursed and ₹225.35 crores already spent.

Samudrayaan holds immense promise for advancing our understanding of the ocean’s mysteries and supporting India’s Blue Economy initiatives.

Our Bureau