
'Samudrayaan' project: Deep Sea Mission crosses milestone with successful weld of human-rated submersible
Isro
's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) have successfully completed a critical welding process for Matsya-6000 — a crewed submersible being developed under the Ministry of Earth Sciences' 'Samudrayaan' project.
Samudrayaan is part of the Deep Ocean Mission and aims to send a three-member crew into the ocean up to a depth of 6km. Central to this effort is the creation of a Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature conditions on the seafloor.
'At the heart of the HOV is a titanium personnel sphere, a 2,260 mm diameter enclosure with 80 mm thick walls, made from a high-strength Ti6Al4V (ELI grade) alloy.
Designed by VSSC, the sphere is built to endure pressure up to 600 bar and temperatures as low as -3°C,' Isro said Wednesday.
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Challenges
It added that the critical challenge in realising this human-rated vessel lay in developing a reliable high-penetration Electron Beam Welding (EBW) process to join the thick titanium components.
'This required welding depths between 80mm and 102mm, a first for the country. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) led this effort, establishing the necessary welding infrastructure and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) facilities,' Isro said.
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LPSC's Bengaluru facility, which previously handled EBW up to 20mm, was significantly upgraded, Isro said, adding that the EBW machine was enhanced from 15kW to 40kW capacity, and additional systems were installed for chemical cleaning and handling the high mass components.
'The existing X-ray testing system, which operated in the kilovolt range, was similarly upgraded to a 7.5 MeV facility to enable deeper inspection.
To ensure safety and certification, multiple NDE methods were employed to verify weld quality — including Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) and Dual Linear Array Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (DLA PAUT).
700 trials
Nearly 700 welding trials were carried out to fine-tune process parameters. Artificial defects were introduced in test samples to validate and calibrate the inspection techniques. Third-party agencies are reviewing and certifying the welding specifications, qualification protocols and NDE processes.
The breakthrough came with the successful completion of the first high-penetration weld on the actual sphere hardware. This involved 80 mm thick welds over a 7,100 mm length, achieved in a continuous 32-minute operation, 'a national first in scale and precision' as per Isro.
The milestone marks a significant leap for India's underwater exploration ambitions and brings Matsya-6000 closer to sea trials. Once complete, the vehicle will be among the very few human submersibles in the world capable of reaching such depths, opening new frontiers for deep sea science, resource exploration and technology development.

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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
India develops personnel sphere, completes welding on submersible after 700 trials
MATSYA-6000 NEW DELHI: In a landmark achievement for India's Deep Ocean Mission, Isro has successfully developed the personnel sphere for the submersible vessel MATSYA-6000, designed to carry humans up to 6,000 metres (6km) below the ocean surface, by completing a critical welding process after 700 weld trials. 'Samudrayaan', a project under the Deep Ocean Mission of the ministry of earth sciences (MoES), aims to strengthen India's capabilities in deep-sea exploration. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), under MoES, collaborated with Isro's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to design and fabricate the spherical crew compartment. The Deep Ocean mission will allow scientists to explore unexplored deep-sea areas, assess mineral resources like nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, and study marine biodiversity. The mission is expected to be realised by 2026. Central to the Samudrayaan effort is the creation of a human occupied vehicle (HOV) that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature conditions on the seafloor. 'At the heart of the HOV is a titanium personnel sphere, a 2,260mm diameter enclosure with 80mm thick walls, made from a high-strength alloy. Designed by VSSC, the sphere is built to endure pressure up to 600 bar and temperatures as low as -3°C,' Isro said Wednesday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dolly Parton, 79, Removes Her Makeup and Stuns Everyone The Noodle Box Undo One of the biggest challenges scientists faced in creating this weld lay in the properties of titanium as a metal. While titanium is known for its strength, it can be difficult to weld. The technical challenge was developing a reliable electron beam welding process capable of fusing thick (80-102 mm) titanium plates. Isro's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Bengaluru, took charge of augmenting its welding facility from a 15kW to a 40kW EBW capacity. LPSC developed the process and infrastructure for the welding process and non-destructive evaluation (NDE). While LPSC had the expertise to carry out welding up to 20mm thickness, it augmented the EBW machine from a 15kW rating to 40kW, while also making alterations to the chemical cleaning and handling equipment to accommodate the increased size and mass. Over 700 weld trials were conducted to optimise the process parameters, ensuring high quality and structural integrity. For quality assurance, Isro enhanced its X-ray radiography capability, one of the highest energy levels used in India, allowing detailed non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the welded joints. The breakthrough came with the successful completion of the first high-penetration weld on the actual sphere hardware. This involved 80mm thick welds over a 7,100mm length, achieved in a continuous 32-minute operation, 'a national first in scale and precision' as per Isro. The milestone marks a significant leap for India's underwater exploration ambitions and brings Matsya-6000 closer to sea trials. Once complete, the vehicle will be among the very few human submersibles in the world capable of reaching such depths, opening new frontiers for deep sea science, resource exploration and technology development.


Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
ISRO signs MoU with NIOT for submersible spherical vessel MATSYA-6000
ISRO 's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Ocean Technology ( NIOT ) to develop a submersible spherical vessel , MATSYA-6000 , which can carry humans into the sea up to a depth of 6km. The human-occupied vehicle (HOV) is part of 'Samudrayaan', a project under the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), according to ISRO. In a release issued by the space agency on Wednesday, the design of the HOV along with development of the material for realisation was carried out by VSSC. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like We Can't Believe She Wore That To The Red Carpet Golfhooked Read More Undo The sphere measuring 2,260mm diameter with a wall thickness of 80mm, is made out of Titanium alloy and is expected to withstand an external pressure up to 600bar under low temperature conditions of -3°C. It has the capability to carry a three-member crew into the deep ocean, the release added.

Deccan Herald
7 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
ISRO signs MoU with NIOT for submersible spherical vessel MATSYA-6000
Bengaluru: ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to develop a submersible spherical vessel, MATSYA-6000, which can carry humans into the sea up to a depth of human-occupied vehicle (HOV) is part of 'Samudrayaan', a project under the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), according to to launch NISAR mission on July 30 .In a release issued by the space agency on Wednesday, the design of the HOV along with development of the material for realisation was carried out by sphere measuring 2,260mm diameter with a wall thickness of 80mm, is made out of Titanium alloy and is expected to withstand an external pressure up to 600bar under low temperature conditions of -3° has the capability to carry a three-member crew into the deep ocean, the release added.