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Economic Times
4 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
India's Deep Ocean Mission sends aquanaut 5,002m below surface in record-breaking dive
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India has achieved a breakthrough in its Deep Ocean Mission , sending an aquanaut to a depth of 5,002 metres — the deepest human dive ever undertaken by the nation, reported mission, aimed at advancing both manned and unmanned submersible technology and deep-sea mining capabilities, seeks to unlock resources within India's Exclusive Economic Zone and continental milestone was part of an Indo-French collaboration in which two Indian aquanauts — Jatinder Pal Singh and Raju Ramesh — completed deep dives in the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the French submersible Nautile on August 5 and twin feats come barely a month after Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS). Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh hailed the achievements as a rare 'double conquest' for India, remarking, 'We have an Indian going into space and another venturing into the deep ocean almost at the same time.'On August 5, Ramesh, a scientist with the National Institute of Ocean Technology, descended 4,025 metres beneath the surface. The next day, retired Navy Commander Singh set the new Indian record, plunging to 5,002 metres.'This expedition is part of the Deep Ocean Mission, one of whose goals is to create a human-rated submersible capable of exploring the deepest parts of the ocean,' said M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, according to the Nautile will be used for additional dives before India begins trials of its own indigenous deep-sea vehicle , the Matsya 6000 , under the Samudrayaan project. The first Indian-led deep dive using the craft is targeted for December a parallel achievement for India's exploration ambitions, Shukla — the country's second astronaut and the first to visit the ISS — is expected to return home this weekend. According to Space Minister Jitendra Singh, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before travelling to Lucknow to reunite with his family, and will later be back in Delhi for National Space Day celebrations on August 23.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
India's Deep Ocean Mission sends aquanaut 5,002m below surface in record-breaking dive
India has achieved a breakthrough in its Deep Ocean Mission , sending an aquanaut to a depth of 5,002 metres — the deepest human dive ever undertaken by the nation, reported TOI. Independence Day 2025 Op Sindoor to water cutoff: PM Modi slams Pak in I-Day speech GST reforms by Diwali to cut daily-use taxes: PM Modi Terrorism, tech, more: PM's I-Day speech highlights The mission, aimed at advancing both manned and unmanned submersible technology and deep-sea mining capabilities, seeks to unlock resources within India's Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf. The milestone was part of an Indo-French collaboration in which two Indian aquanauts — Jatinder Pal Singh and Raju Ramesh — completed deep dives in the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the French submersible Nautile on August 5 and 6. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo The twin feats come barely a month after Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS). Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh hailed the achievements as a rare 'double conquest' for India, remarking, 'We have an Indian going into space and another venturing into the deep ocean almost at the same time.' Historic dives and future plans Live Events On August 5, Ramesh, a scientist with the National Institute of Ocean Technology, descended 4,025 metres beneath the surface. The next day, retired Navy Commander Singh set the new Indian record, plunging to 5,002 metres. 'This expedition is part of the Deep Ocean Mission, one of whose goals is to create a human-rated submersible capable of exploring the deepest parts of the ocean,' said M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, according to the report. The Nautile will be used for additional dives before India begins trials of its own indigenous deep-sea vehicle , the Matsya 6000 , under the Samudrayaan project. The first Indian-led deep dive using the craft is targeted for December 2027. Astronaut Shukla to meet PM Modi In a parallel achievement for India's exploration ambitions, Shukla — the country's second astronaut and the first to visit the ISS — is expected to return home this weekend. According to Space Minister Jitendra Singh, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before travelling to Lucknow to reunite with his family, and will later be back in Delhi for National Space Day celebrations on August 23.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Two Chennai-based aquanauts successfully dive 5,000m deep in Atlantic Ocean
CHENNAI: Two Chennai-based scientists successfully completed India's maiden deep dive, reaching nearly 5,000 metres in the North Atlantic Ocean aboard the French submersible Nautile. The mission is a preparatory step for the Samudrayaan project, in which the indigenously built Matsya 6000 will carry three people to 6,000m by Dec 2027. On Aug 4 and 5, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) aquanauts Cdr Jatinder Pal Singh, a former Navy officer, descended to 5,002m, and R Ramesh to 4,025m, in separate dives. Three other scientists remained aboard the support vessel, tracking the dives and communicating with the aquanauts. Using a robotic arm, they placed the Indian flag on the ocean floor. The dives took place weeks after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station. Cdr J P Singh said nearly half of the 10-hour expedition was spent descending and ascending. On the seabed, he collected samples with robotic arms, tested emergency ascent procedures, and assessed life-support functions under power failure and CO2 build-up scenarios. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo 'At that depth, there is no sunlight; we trained with and without lights,' he said. Singh, who survived the week-long mission mostly on peanuts and lost nearly 3kg, has 3,000 dive hours, including a 670m dive record and 11 live submarine rescue operations. Ramesh, an experienced ROV pilot, described the dive as 'seeing through our eyes what we earlier only saw through cameras.' His five-hour mission included navigation, inspection, and sampling. 'Two of us were lying prostrate while one sat in the French vehicle. In Matsya 6000, all three will be seated. It will also have advanced scientific sensors,' he said. During a media interaction in New Delhi, Union minister Jitendra Singh called it part of India's 'double conquest' of unexplored frontiers that will mark the beginning of value addition in India's economic growth. The successful dive also put India in an elite group of fewer than half a dozen nations to have ventured so deep into the ocean. 'When we have an Indian going in an Indian spaceship, we will have one or more Indians going down in a submersible, both indigenous vehicles,' he said. Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Ravichandran said the expedition, conducted with France's research institute Ifremer, provided hands-on training in pre-dive preparation, piloting, robotic arm use, deployment and retrieval, trajectory tracking, and acoustic communication. 'We will undertake many more dives in this ship before using Matsya 6000,' he said. The fourth-generation Matsya 6000, designed with multiple safety redundancies and an endurance of 96hours, was integrated for 5,000m and completed harbour wet tests in Chennai. It will undergo 500metre shallow water trials in 2026. A ship with a 27-tonne crane to lower the submersible is being built. A flotation unit, fabricated in France and tested in Norway, will arrive in Nov. The titanium sphere to carry the crew, being fabricated by ISRO, will withstand 600 bars of pressure. 'Once it is ready, we can dive to 6,000m,' Ravichandran said. NIOT director Balaji Ramakrishnan said every component, from fasteners to sensors, is being designed to endure crushing pressures. 'Very soon our Matsya will take the dive,' he said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
2 Indian aquanauts make record-breaking dives into Atlantic Ocean
In preparation for the country's Deep Ocean Mission, two Indian aquanauts have undertaken dives to nearly 4,000 metres and 5,000 metres in the Atlantic Ocean, on board the French vessel, Nautile. These are the deepest ocean dives ever made by Indians, with most submarine dives being restricted to above 500 metres, and a previous record of 670 metres being set by aquanaut Commander (Retd) Jatinder Pal Singh. The dives took place on August 4 and 5. While Singh descended 5,002 metres, R Ramesh descended to 4,025 metres. An Indian flag, along with a French one, was floated during the dive. From deployment to retrieval, the mission to travel to the depths of 5,000 metres took about 9.5 hours. 'It took about two and a half hours to reach the depth. Once there, I spent around four hours at the depth working with the robotic arm, checking how to work with and without the light at a place where there is never any sunlight, how to work with the life support system if the CO2 systems are shut off, what has to be done in case of power failure, or how long will it take for the vessel to reach the surface in case of an emergency,' said Singh, who was a Naval submarine pilot. The experience from the two dives would help India's upcoming Samudrayaan mission. India plans to build its vessels to send three aquanauts to the depths of 6,000 metres by 2027. 'These dives was meant for our team to gain hands on experience on several aspects of such deep sea missions such as pre-dive preparatory tasks, piloting the vessel, ascending, descending and living in the vessel, using the robotic manipulator to collect samples from the outside, tracking the vessel, and retrieving it after the mission,' said Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Department of Earth Sciences. Another important learning from the dives was on communication protocols with the use of acoustic telephones. 'Thousands of metres underwater, you cannot use normal communication methods. Our phones use air as a medium to transmit radio waves to enable communication; these cannot penetrate the depth of water. So, for underwater communication, sound waves are used, and there is a delay of a few seconds in that,' Ravichandran said. The collaboration with France came after years of negotiation, as most countries are reluctant to share deep-sea technologies. In fact, India developed its own acoustic phones and will manufacture the titanium sphere that will carry the aquanauts. 'For depths of 6,000 metres, a titanium sphere will be needed for the crew. This sphere is currently being manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organisation,' he said, adding that it requires highly specialised and precise manufacturing techniques. He explained that the sphere has to be of 80mm thickness uniformly, 'even if at one place it is 79.8 mm thick, it will collapse under the immense pressure'. Under the Samudrayaan mission, a shallow water dive up to 500 metres—using a steel sphere instead of the more complex titanium one—is likely to take place in mid-2026. The integration of the titanium sphere and deep water testing is likely to occur by mid-2027, before the final mission scheduled for 2027-28.
India Today
5 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Indian aquanauts make record 5,000-metre dive in Atlantic Ocean, plant tricolour
In a first-of-its-kind achievement, two Indian aquanauts have plunged more than 5,000 metres below sea level, planting the Indian flag, and the French flag, on the ocean bed during a landmark Indo-French deep-sea part of a collaboration with France, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) experts Raju Ramesh and Cdr (Retired) Jatinder Pal Singh boarded the French research vessel off Portugal, joining the Nautile submersible team for what would become an expedition to the depths of the dives, reaching 4,025 and then 5,002 metres, were undertaken inside Nautile, a state-of-the-art French submersible capable of operating at depths up to 6,000 metres and equipped with robotic arms, sensors, and cameras for underwater operations. Photo: PIB Using the submersible's manipulator, the aquanauts marked their historic presence by planting both nations' flags at the crushing depths, enduring extreme conditions and demonstrating the capabilities required for such five-member NIOT contingent gained invaluable hands-on experience in crucial aspects of human deep-sea dives: pre-dive preparation, habitability, buoyancy management, trajectory tracking, communication protocols, and meticulous dive lessons are particularly relevant as India accelerates preparations for its Samudrayaan mission, where its indigenous Matsya-6000 crewed submersible will soon conduct dives to similar jet lag, multiple flights, and more than a week aboard their vessel in rough seas, the Indian divers' success marks a watershed moment for Indian ocean exploration, proving national expertise and resilience on the global stage. NIOT Director Prof. Balaji Ramakrishnan highlighted the significance: 'Every single component for our Matsya dives is being crafted to withstand the extreme pressure and conditions of the deep ocean.' Samudrayaan during harbour wet test. (Photo: NIOT) The experience gained from the pioneering Indo-French Nautile venture is already being channeled into the final phase of the Samudrayaan mission, scheduled to make India one of only six countries to send a crewed submersible into the abyssal developed by NIOT, will ferry three persons to 6,000m depths in a titanium alloy sphere, facilitating mineral exploration, marine biodiversity studies, and deep-sea rescue India pushes the frontiers of deep ocean science, this historic dive stands as a symbol of international cooperation, technical mastery, and the promise of greater discoveries awaiting beneath the waves.- EndsMust Watch
