Initial submersible will operate at a depth of up to 500 meters, with a subsequent goal of reaching a staggering depth of 6,000 meters under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).
- Earlier, India launched its first and unique Manned Ocean Mission Samudrayan at Chennai for deep ocean explorations.
Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)
- About: Flagship program launched in 2021 for a period of five years.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Deep Ocean Exploration is also among the nine missions under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC).
- Aim: Unlock vast resources, including critical minerals, rare metals, and undiscovered marine biodiversity.
Key Pillars of the Mission
- Developing technologies for deep-sea mining and a manned submersible (equipped with sensors, tools to mine polymetallic nodules) to carry 3 people to a depth of 6,000 metres in the Indian ocean.
- Development of ocean climate change advisory services, involving an array of ocean observations and models.
- Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity.
- Deep-ocean survey and exploration for identifying potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal sulphides mineralisation along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
- Harnessing energy and freshwater from the ocean.
- Establishing an advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology, for driving new opportunities in ocean biology and blue biotechnology.
