India should be able to send its scientists to study the deep ocean 6 km under the sea surface in its own Samudrayaan by the end of next year, Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.
In a video interview, Rijiju said India's deep-ocean submersible Matsya6000, which will take humans up to a depth of 6,000 metres under the sea, was "well on course" and could be tested by the "end of this year".
"When you talk about Samudrayaan, you are now talking about our mission to go up to around 6,000 metres, 6 km deep inside the ocean, where even light cannot reach. I can say that as far as our Matsaya, the machine which will take human beings inside, (is concerned), it's well on course," Rijiju said.
The minister said he had reviewed the project and scientists should be able to carry out the first shallow-water testing by the end of this year.
"But broadly I feel confident that by the end of 2025, that means next year, we should be able to send our human crew to the deep ocean, more than 6,000 metres deep," Rijiju said.
Samudrayaan, or the deep ocean mission, was initiated in 2021. The mission entails undertaking a crewed expedition to reach a depth of 6,000 metres to the ocean bed in the central Indian Ocean using Matsya6000, designed to accommodate a crew of three members.
The submersible will be equipped with a suite of scientific sensors and tools, and have an operational endurance of 12 hours, which is extendable up to 96 hours in the event of an emergency.
So far, countries such as the US, Russia, China, France and Japan have carried out successful deep-ocean crewed missions.
India is poised to join the ranks of these nations by demonstrating expertise of and capability for such missions.
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