Indigenous Submarine Fishery-6000: Rs 4100 crore worth submarine Matsya-6000 to be tested on this date, know its features

Mission Samudrayaan: Under the Samudrayaan mission, India is ready to test its indigenously developed manned submarine Matsya-6000 in the deep sea next month.

After the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L-1, India is set to make history in the ocean. As part of the Samudrayaan mission, the indigenously developed Matsya-6000 submarine will undergo a wet test (testing in the sea) in October at a depth of around 6000 meters below sea level. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) have provided information about the successful integration of the submarine. According to the ministry’s secretary, Dr. M. Ravichandran, the wet test of Matsya-6000 will be conducted in the last week of October or early November. All its components have been integrated and tested. Some equipment is still being installed. After that, it will be fully ready for the wet test.

What will be the cost?

The objective of the Samudrayaan mission is to send humans to the deep sea in a submarine to mine rare minerals. The project cost is around Rs 4100 crore. It will explore resources such as gas hydrates, polymetallic manganese nodules, hydrothermal sulfides, and cobalt crusts at depths of 1000 to 5500 meters in the ocean. The submarine will also be capable of monitoring ocean changes related to climate change.

What is a wet test?

During the wet test, the submarine will be lowered into the sea at a depth of around 15 meters at the Chennai port. All the functions that will be performed during the mission will be tested. The submarine’s ability to withstand pressure, speed, life support systems, and underwater communication capabilities will be assessed. Based on the test results, improvements will be made to the submarine. The mission is expected to be completed by 2026.

Name inspired by Lord Vishnu’s incarnation

The Samudrayaan mission is completely indigenous. The Matsya-6000 submarine built under it uses titanium alloy. Its name is inspired by Lord Vishnu’s Matsya avatar. The submarine can withstand 600 times the pressure at a depth of 6000 meters below sea level. Its diameter is 2.1 meters. It can send three people to the deep sea for 12 hours. It has an emergency endurance of 96 hours. After the US, Russia, Japan, France, and China, India will have this technology.

What’s in the deep-diving submarine?

1. Advanced life support system
2. Navigation equipment
3. Robotic arms for sample collection
4. High-resolution imaging system