Samudrayaan to be Launched by 2026

Context

India is ready to release its first manned deep-ocean task, ‘Samudrayaan’, by 2026, aiming to discover marine sources at a depth of 6,000 metres the usage of the indigenously advanced submersible ‘Matsya’.

About Samudrayaan Mission

• The Samudrayaan Mission is part of the manned Deep Ocean Mission.
• It might have MATSYA 6000, an indigenously designed 4th generation manned submersible vehicle capable of sporting 3 people to a depth of 6,000 meters.
• It is being developed by National Institute of Ocean Technology (Chennai).
• MATSYA 6000 has an operational patience of 12 hours and an emergency endurance of 96 hours.
• India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi can be used to establish and recover the MATSYA 6000.

Significance of the Mission

• Scientific Research: Enables collection of deep-sea samples, crucial for understanding marine biodiversity, geology, and chemistry.
• Resource Exploration: Potential for evaluation of living (marine biodiversity) and non-living sources (minerals, polymetallic nodules).
• Technology Demonstration: Showcases indigenous capability in high-stress 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 task, India will be part of a pick out organization of countries (the United States, Russia, France, Japan, and China) which have the technology and capabilities for manned deep-sea exploration.

About Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

• The Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) was launched via the Ministry of Earth Sciences in 2021, and aims to discover and harness deep-sea sources in a sustainable and technologically superior manner. 
• With a ₹4,077 crore outlay over 5 years, DOM helps India’s Blue Economy and aligns with SDG-14 (Life Under Water).
• The undertaking is being spearheaded by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and comprises six additives:
  • 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: The Hindu

Mains PYQ

Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. (2014)

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