Why is it in the news?

• Indian scientists are gearing up for an ambitious project called Samudrayaan, which involves sending three people 6,000 meters underwater in a domestically developed submersible named Matsya 6000.
• This mission aims to explore the ocean depths of precious metals and minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese.

About Matsya 6000

• Matsya 6000 is a domestically developed submersible for deep-sea exploration.
• It has been in development for nearly two years.
• The submersible will undergo its first sea trials in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast in early 2024.
• Its design has been meticulously reviewed, considering materials, testing, certification, redundancy, and standard operating procedures.
• The submersible’s design includes a 2.1-meter diameter sphere made of 80mm-thick titanium alloy, capable of withstanding the immense pressure at 6,000 meters depth (600 times greater than sea level pressure).
• It is designed to operate continuously for 12 to 16 hours and has a 96-hour oxygen supply.

Mission Samudrayaan

• Mission Samudrayaan is part of the Deep Ocean Mission in India.
• Sea trials at a depth of 500 meters are planned for the first quarter of 2024.
• The full realization of the mission is expected by 2026.
• It aims to explore the ocean depths for precious metals and minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese.
• India joins a select group of countries, including the US, Russia, Japan, France, and China, that have developed manned submersibles.
• In addition to mineral exploration, Matsya 6000 will investigate the chemosynthetic biodiversity in hydrothermal vents and low-temperature methane seeps in the ocean.