NEW DELHI: While Subhanshu Shukla returned from space successfully under Axiom Mission 4, the Indian government is also working to explore the deep sea. Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that India’s “reform express” is being driven by science, technology and innovation, and the Ministry is working to fulfil the objectives of the Deep Ocean Mission.
He said that while an Indian astronaut will venture into outer space, India will also send a human occupied submersible to depths of up to 6,000 metres (6 km) under the ocean. Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr M Ravichandran, said that India’s motto under the Deep Ocean Mission is to harness ocean resources and develop mechanisms to benefit from the blue economy.
According to ministry official, India will import a machine from France for this project. After receiving the machine, it will be tested and certified for the Deep Ocean Mission. Following this, it will be deployed underwater with human occupants. The process will take time, and officials hope to receive the machine within this year.
The primary machine from France is called “Nautile”, a manned submersible operated by the state-run French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer). It is one of only a few human-occupied deep-sea submersibles in the world. The Nautile has the capacity to carry a crew of three people—one pilot, one co-pilot and one scientist—and can reach about 97% of the ocean floor. The submersible is primarily used for scientific research, including geology, biology and underwater archaeology, enabling direct observation and intervention in deep-sea environments.
