New Delhi, January 12: India is aiming to send three persons to 6,000 meters below sea level as part of the Samudrayaan Mission, officials said, adding the mission heralds India's ushering into an era of "Blue Economy" which is going to play a major part in building India's overall economy during the years to come.

Sharing the details, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to the Deep Sea Mission in his Independence Day address in two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022. Samudrayaan Mission: India’s First Manned Mission To Send Humans 6,000 Metres Deep in Ocean.

He elaborated that a vehicle called MATSYA will carry three persons to a depth of 6,000 meters for exploration of deep-sea resources like minerals. This mission, he said, is expected to be realised in the next three years.

Singh added that MATSYA 6000 is being designed and developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. "It has an endurance of 12 hours under normal operation and 96 hours in case of emergency for human safety."

"The design of the vehicle is completed and realization of various components of the vehicle is in progress. Manned submersible facilitates the direct observation by the human in deep ocean in exploring mineral resources rich in nickel, cobalt, rare earths, manganese etc., and collection of samples, which can be used for analysis," said the Minister. India Jumped From Seventh to Third Global Ranking in Scientific Publications, Says Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

The Minister added that apart from the scientific research and technological empowerment as the benefits, the mission has immediate spin-offs in the form of underwater engineering innovations in asset inspection, tourism and promotion of ocean literacy.

"Development of 6,000m-depth rated Integrated Mining Machine and unmanned vehicles (tethered and automated) to explore deep sea resources and biodiversity assessment," Singh said.

The Centre had approved the Deep Ocean Mission at a total budget of Rs 4,077 crore for five years. The estimated cost for the first phase for the three years (2021-2024) is Rs 2,823.4 crore.

India has a unique maritime position, a 7,517 km long coastline, which is home to nine coastal states and 1,382 islands. The mission aims to boost the Central government's vision of 'New India' that highlights the blue economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 13, 2023 12:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).