First wet test of India’s Samudrayaan mission planned in the last week of October | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: To take a giant step towards launching the country’s ambitious venture Samudrayaan Mission in 2026 to explore the depths of the ocean, the Government of the Union will conduct the first wet test of the crewed ocean mission in the last week of October. The test will be conducted at the Chennai port at a depth of 15 meters.
The wet test will evaluate the performance of Matsya-6000 in real underwater conditions. After the wet test, a shallow water test is planned in 2025 and the final unmanned deep-sea tests in 2026.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) recently announced the successful integration of the underwater boat. “All components of the Matsya-6000 have been integrated and repaired,” a senior ministry official said.
The wet test will be an important step in the launch of Matsya-6000, a deep-sea vehicle with three crew members designed to dive to a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level and intended to be used for deep sea exploration of rare minerals under the Samudrayaan Mission.
The crew for this groundbreaking mission will consist of three members, one of whom is likely to be a retired Navy submariner. The screening process is conducted by the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM). Once selected, the crew will undergo a rigorous two-week training module at the INM, followed by specialized training in the Matsya-6000 cockpit to familiarize themselves with its design and technology.
The deep sea mission was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2021 with the total estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crore for two phases of the mission period during 2021-2026. The deep-diving submarine would be equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including advanced life support systems, navigation equipment, robotic sample collection arms and high-resolution imaging systems.
Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had earlier said that apart from the scientific research and technological empowerment as benefits, the mission has immediate spin-offs in the form of underwater engineering innovations in asset inspection, tourism and promotion of ocean literacy . “Manned submarines facilitate direct observation by humans in the deep ocean in exploring mineral resources rich in nickel, cobalt, rare earth elements, manganese, etc. and collecting samples, which can be used for analysis,” he said .