New Delhi: A crucial set of tests on the Samudrayaan, India’s first manned submersible dive into the ocean, is likely only mid-next year following a delay in the procurement of syntactic foam cladding from France. The Samudrayaan consists of a sphere capable of plunging to a depth of 6,000 metres into the ocean. Only a handful of countries have dived to comparable depths. A crew of three will man this submersible, which will descend to the ocean floor, scour it, and collect soil and rock samples. The mission is deemed as pivotal to India’s future exploration plans to mine precious metals from the high seas.
As a prelude to this, scientists from the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, who are leading the project, have built a steel replica of the submersible that is to be used as a simulator for all the tests required prior to the final mission. Though simulations have been conducted on this sphere to depths of 100 metres, the final set of trials that involves sending the submersible down to 500 metres is on the anvil. It was initially scheduled for December 2024. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said, “Before the 500 metre dive, the submersible has to be fitted with syntactic foam, which is what gives the submersible buoyancy and allows it to float. This is developed in France and is being tested in Norway, and after that, it will be fitted onto our submersible.”
Once these tests are done, the final titanium hull that will be the one to make the final 6000 metre dive will be sent to Russia, where it will be tested in a laboratory for its ability to withstand the pressure of the ocean at 6000 metres. The Indian Space Research Organisation is making two titanium hulls for NIOT. He was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the India International Science Festival, an annual event organised by India’s Science ministries to educate the youth about science and inspire them to take up science as a career. The IISF will be held from December 6-9 at Panchkula, Haryana, and will be inaugurated by Science Minister Jitendra Singh.
