Context: 

Recently, the Union Minister of State of the Ministry of Science and Technology announced the launch of India’s first human underwater submersible (Deep-Sea Manned Vehicle) in 2025.

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• The initial submersible will operate at a depth of up to 500 meters in 2025, with a subsequent goal of reaching a staggering depth of 6,000 meters by 2026.
• This achievement will align with the timelines of India’s other landmark missions, including the Gaganyaan space mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission (DOM):

The Mission was launched in 2021, as a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

• The United Nations (UN) has declared the decade 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The aim of Deep Ocean Mission is to help India achieve the target of over Rs. 100 billion “Blue Economy” through its ocean resources. 

The overall estimated cost of the Deep Ocean Mission is Rs. 4077 crores for a period of five years (2021 to 2026). 

DOM is one of the nine missions launched under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC).

Objectives of the Mission:

• The mission aims to enhance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, contributing to sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation. 
• To identify technological innovations and conservation methods for sustainable utilization of marine bioresources.
• To develop technologies for deep-sea missions of living (biodiversity) and non-living (minerals) resources.
• To develop technologies for mining of deep-sea resources like Polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean at a water depth of 5500 m.

Components of Deep Ocean Mission

Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible: 

(I) Samudrayaan is a project under the Deep Ocean Mission. The mission entails undertaking a crewed expedition to reach a depth of 6,000 metres to the ocean bed in the central Indian Ocean using Matsya6000 was designed to accommodate a crew of three members. The vessel was developed by Chennai's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

(II) Varaha: It is a self-propelled mining system (developed by NIOT) to extract polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor. Varaha uses a high-power pressure pump to extract the nodules from the ocean floor. The nodules are then pumped to a surface ship. 

• This component will help the Blue Economy priority area of exploring and harnessing deep-sea minerals and energy. 

Development of ocean climate change advisory services: It involves an array of ocean observations and models to understand and provide future climate projections. 

• Blue Economy priority area: - Coastal tourism.

Technological innovations for the exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: It covers Bioprospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna. 

• Blue Economy priority area: - Marine Fisheries and allied services.

Deep-ocean survey and exploration:  It aimed at identifying potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal sulphides mineralisation along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges. 

• Blue Economy priority area: - Deep-sea exploration of ocean resources.

Energy and fresh water from the ocean: It studies engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants. 

• Blue Economy priority area: - Offshore energy development.

Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: This component will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities. 

• Blue Economy priority area: - Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.

Significance of the Mission

• It is in line with the Vision of New India by 2030 enunciated in 2019 highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.
• The mission is a beacon of hope for sustainable development and scientific discovery in Ocean explorations. 
• Mission paves the way for a future where the ocean’s potential is harnessed responsibly and effectively in a sustainable manner.