India's Groundbreaking Samudrayaan Mission: Sending Indigenous Submersible Matsya-6000 to Explore Ocean Depths

The Matsya-6000 is an autonomous submersible vehicle designed to explore the ocean depths.

Chennai: India is set to join an exclusive group of nations capable of deep-sea human exploration as two scientists from the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) prepare to pilot a domestically manufactured submersible to depths of 500 meters off Chennai's coast in early 2024.

The pioneering aquanauts, Ramesh Raju and Jatinder Pal Singh, will navigate the 28-tonne Matsya-6000 as part of India's ambitious Deep Ocean Mission, marking the country's first human-crewed deep-sea exploration initiative.

"While we have previously explored greater ocean depths using remotely operated vehicles, this mission represents our first human descent to eventually reach 6,000 meters. Safety remains our absolute priority," explained Balaji Ramakrishnan, NIOT Director, in an interview with PTI.

The Samudrayaan project, led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, exemplifies India's commitment to self-reliance. After facing technology denials during two global tender attempts to procure a manned submersible, the government decided to develop the vessel indigenously.

"We embraced this challenge," Ramakrishnan stated. "Though our underwater exploration expertise was previously limited to 1,000 meters, once we began the project and connected with allied laboratories, we discovered the necessary expertise and technologies were available within India through DRDO, CSIR, and ISRO institutes."

Scientists emphasize that human presence in underwater exploration dramatically enhances discovery potential through real-time decision-making capabilities.

"The human eye offers perception capabilities no camera can match, providing unique insights into the deep-sea floor," explained Sathia Narayanan, Samudrayaan Project Director.

The deep ocean harbors numerous unexplored minerals, fuels, and biodiversity resources. Currently, only the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and France possess the capability to conduct exploration at extreme depths. India aims to join this select group through the Samudrayaan project.

With its 11,098 km coastline, India has implemented a blue economy policy to sustainably utilize ocean resources for economic growth.

Within the NIOT campus, the Matsya-6000 is under development. The submersible features a 2.25-meter diameter boiler steel sphere mounted on an exo-structure, equipped with high-density Lithium-Polymer batteries, emergency escape systems, ballast tanks, propellers, and emergency buoys for rescue operations.

The initial mission will take scientists to 500 meters—the maximum depth at which naval submarines typically operate. By 2027, Indian scientists plan to reach depths exceeding 6,000 meters, coinciding with ISRO's Gaganyaan mission to send Indian astronauts to space.

For the 6,000-meter descent, the boiler steel personnel sphere will be replaced by a titanium sphere currently being fabricated at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru facility has developed specialized electron beam welding capabilities to construct the titanium alloy sphere with 80 mm thick walls, designed to withstand the 600 bar pressure experienced at 6,000 meters depth.

The Matsya-6000 can descend at 30 meters per minute and includes portholes, external lighting systems, robotic arms for sample collection, and external cameras.

All equipment will undergo certification by DNV, a global risk management organization, ensuring the vessel is both lightweight for diving operations and structurally robust to withstand increasing water pressure, which increases by one atmospheric pressure every 10 meters.

"DNV certification for all components will make Matsya-6000 among the safest vessels for deep ocean exploration," assured Sethuraman Ramesh, Group Head of Deep Sea Technology at NIOT.

In August, the two designated scientists descended to 5,000 meters aboard the French submersible Nautile. This experience provided valuable operational insights that are now being applied to Matsya-6000's development.