India’s first manned deep-sea mission is scheduled to begin next month using the indigenously developed submersible vehicle, Matsya-6000.
Developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), a Union government institution based in Chennai's Pallikaranai, the submersible is designed to carry three scientists to depths of up to 6,000 metres beneath the ocean surface.
Deep-sea research focuses on regions located more than 200 metres below the ocean surface, which is completely dark, has near-freezing temperatures and crushing pressure.
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The primary objective of such research is the exploration of polymetallic nodules found on the seabed. These nodules contain valuable minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, which are crucial for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries and advanced technologies.
Researchers are also investigating deep-sea microorganisms that survive under extreme conditions and discover new compounds that could help in developing treatments for diseases such as cancer. The exploration further aims to understand marine ecosystems that survive without sunlight through a chemosynthesis process.Exploring the deep sea is not easy and scientists have to go around 6,000 meters deep in the water where pressure is nearly 600 times higher than what is experienced at sea level. It is believed that the force is as good as a weight of an African elephant pressing down on an area the size of a human thumbnail.Sunlight disappears entirely beyond depths of 1,000 metres, while temperatures remain between 1°C and 4°C. Communication is another challenge because radio waves do not travel effectively underwater and it requires specialised acoustic communication systems.The Matsya-6000 submersible has been developed entirely with indigenous technology by NIOT scientists under India's Deep Ocean Mission. The vessel features a spherical pressure hull made from a special titanium alloy capable of withstanding extreme underwater pressure. The sphere has a diameter of 2.1 metres and a wall thickness of 80 millimetres.
