NEW DELHI: India, with a unique maritime position, is embarking on the mission of 'Samundrayaan' with to make a wider beneath-the-sea exploration of the aquatic ecosystem. In a written reply to the Parliament, the Union minister of Earth Science Dr Jitendra Singh said that the mission is likely to be set- off by 2026.
Under the mission 'Samundrayaan', the government is working on sending a team of three marine researchers to 6000-metre depth in a vehicle called 'MATSYA 6000" which is being designed and developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) at Chennai under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
"The manned submersible facilitates the direct observation by the human in the deep ocean in exploring mineral resources rich in Nickel, Cobalt, rare earth, manganese and other resources which can be used for scientific analysis", he said.
The mission is aimed at having a good impact on about 7517 km long coastline, spread over 9 coastal states and 1,382 islands. This will give a boost to the government's effort of making positive changes in the 'Blue Economy' as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.
The minister also informed that the mission 'Samundrayaan' has also immediate spin-offs in the form of underwater engineering innovations in asset inspection, tourism and promotion of ocean literacy. The government has formally launched the Samundrayaan mission in October 2021 for making a wider exploration beneath the sea aquatic ecosystem.
Detailing about the MATSAY-6000 vehicle, he said that the vehicle has an endurance of 12 hours in case of emergency for human safety.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Indian Space Research Organization, IITM and DRDO would also be participating together.