In a groundbreaking achievement, two indian aquanauts have successfully descended into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean, reaching milestones of 4,025 meters and 5,003 meters below sea level. This historic event, announced by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, follows closely on the heels of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s recent visit to the international Space Station.
The dives were conducted in collaboration with france using the submersible 'Nautile' on august 5 and 6, marking a significant advance in India's Deep Ocean Mission, "Samudrayaan." A five-member team from the National Institute of Ocean technology (NIOT), including commander Jatinder Paul Singh (retd), Paliniappan, Dr. Sathianarayanan, G. Harikrishnan, and R. Ramesh, undertook extensive training in dive preparation, planning, and trajectory tracking.
On august 5, Ramesh reached a depth of 4,025 meters, followed by Singh, who set a new record of 5,003 meters the next day. Hailing from Jammu, Singh reported that it took him 2.5 hours to reach this depth, where he collected samples and observed the operation of robotic arms in complete darkness, spending nearly four hours on the ocean floor before returning to the surface.
Union minister Dr. jitendra singh remarked that india has joined an elite group of nations capable of such deep-sea exploration. He highlighted that this expedition is a precursor to future missions under Samudrayaan, which aims to send three aquanauts to 6,000 meters by 2027 in the indigenous submersible MATSYA-6000. The initiative is part of India's broader Deep Ocean Mission, aimed at exploring and sustainably utilizing ocean resources, bolstering the blue economy, and tapping into the nation’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone.
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