Context:
Article in the Hindu – interview with M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences about the mission
About Deep Ocean Mission:
- Informally known as Samudrayaan program
- Consist of various crewed and uncrewed submersibles exploring the sea bed
- One of the primary aims of the mission is to explore and extract polymetallic nodules.
- Ministry – Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
Major components of Deep Ocean Mission
- Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, Manned Submersible and Underwater Robotics
- manned submersible to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean
- Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services
- Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity
- Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration
- Energy and freshwater from the Ocean
- Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology
Why 6000 metres?
- A depth of 6,000 m for the DOM holds strategic significance.
- India has committed to the sustainable extraction of valuable resources, including polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulphides.
- The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has granted India access to a 75,000-square-kilometer region in the central Indian Ocean and an additional 10,000 square kilometers at 26° S for this purpose.
- Polymetallic nodules, containing precious metals like copper, manganese, nickel, iron, and cobalt, are located at a depth of approximately 5,000 meters, while polymetallic sulphides are found around 3,000 meters deep in the central Indian Ocean.
- Thus, our interests encompass depths ranging from 3,000 to 5,500 meters.
- By equipping ourselves to operate at a depth of 6,000 meters, we can effectively serve both the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and the central Indian Ocean.
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT):
- An autonomous institute under MoES
- Has been entrusted with the mandate of developing indigenous technologies to address engineering challenges associated with exploring and utilising oceanic resources.
- Matsya6000 – a deep-ocean submersible designed to accommodate a crew of three members
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO
1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission
2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
