Why in news?
Two Indian aquanauts recently dived more than 5,000 metres in the Atlantic Ocean aboard a French submersible as part of training for India’s Samudrayaan Project. The milestone demonstrated India’s growing capabilities in deep‑sea exploration.
Deep Ocean Mission and Samudrayaan
India’s Deep Ocean Mission (DOM), launched in 2021 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, aims to explore and harness marine resources. A key component is the Samudrayaan Mission, which will deploy a crewed submersible to depths of up to 6,000 metres within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. “Samudrayaan” means “sea journey” in Sanskrit.
Recent Indo‑French training dive
- On 5 and 6 August 2025, two Indian scientists — Raju Ramesh (National Institute of Ocean Technology) and Commander (Retd.) Jatinder Pal Singh (Indian Navy) — descended to depths of 4,025 metres and 5,002 metres, respectively, in the French submersible Nautile, operated by the French research institute IFREMER.
- Each dive lasted about seven hours and involved planting the Indian flag on the ocean floor, symbolising India’s commitment to ocean science.
- The expedition provided hands‑on training in pre‑dive checks, descent and ascent protocols, buoyancy control, manipulator arm operation, acoustic communication and recovery of the submersible.
MATSYA‑6000: India’s indigenous submersible
Under the Samudrayaan Mission, India is developing MATSYA‑6000, a titanium‑hulled submersible designed to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres.
- Design: The craft has a 2.1‑metre‑diameter titanium sphere capable of withstanding pressures 600 times that at sea level. It will feature scientific sensors, data and voice communication systems, emergency safety mechanisms, underwater acoustic telephone and bio‑vests for crew monitoring.
- Testing timeline: MATSYA‑6000 completed wet trials in early 2025. A 500‑metre shallow‑water trial is planned for early 2026, followed by full‑depth testing in 2027 and deployment by 2027–28.
- Roadmap: Ongoing work includes testing of the titanium hull and variable ballast system, open‑ocean certification and integration with a Launch and Recovery System (LARS). Scientific missions are expected to start by 2028, making India the sixth nation to operate a manned deep‑sea submersible.
Broader context and significance
- Blue economy: With a coastline of 11,000 km and a vast EEZ, India aims to harness marine resources for sustainable growth. The DOM supports exploration of polymetallic nodule fields rich in nickel, cobalt, manganese and copper.
- International collaboration: The Indo‑French training demonstrates the importance of global partnerships in developing complex technologies.
- Historical milestones: Indian scientists previously participated in deep‑sea dives using foreign submersibles to depths of 3,800 metres (USA’s Alvin in 1997) and 2,800 metres (France’s Nautile in 2002). The 2025 dives mark India’s highest dives to date and pave the way for indigenous missions.