Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today. Knowledge Nugget: Samudrayaan mission and Matsya-6000 Subject: Government Initiatives (Relevance: Government initiatives in various sectors and achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenisation of technology and developing new technology form an important part of the UPSC CSE syllabus. Additionally, previously UPSC has asked questions on various government initiatives; thus, knowing about the Samudrayaan mission and Matsya-6000 becomes essential.) Why in the news? In February, India completed wet testing of its Matsya-6000 submersible, capable of diving up to 6 km below the surface to look for underwater minerals off the coast. Last week, China unveiled a compact deep sea cable-cutting device that can be mounted on certain submersibles — and which is capable of severing the world’s most fortified underwater communication or power lines. China reportedly operates the largest fleet of submersibles in the world. In this context, let's know about the India's Samudrayaan mission and Matsya-6000. Key Takeaways : 1. Samudrayaan is India’s manned deep ocean mission envisioned for deep sea mineral exploration. It is a project under the Deep Ocean Mission. 2. It is aimed at developing a self-propelled manned submersible to carry 3 human beings to a water depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools for deep ocean exploration. Under the mission, MATSYA 6000 manned submersible design has been completed. Matsya-6000 1. Matsya-6000, the submersible vehicle set to transport three Indians into the deep sea in 2026, has successfully completed wet tests and facilitated multiple manned dives in the Bay of Bengal. The tests were performed off Chennai, the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, said. 2. It has been designed and developed by NIOT, Chennai. This submersible will be equipped with high-end instruments, oceanographic sensors, and equipment essential for performing exploration of rare earth minerals, nickel, cobalt, manganese and a host of other under-sea minerals off the Indian coasts. 3. After completing dry tests within an operational range of 500 metres, Matsya-6000 was transported to Kattupalli port, located about 30 km north of Chennai. The wet tests were scheduled during the January 27 to February 12 period and aimed to test and verify the performance of several critical parameters. 4. During the test, multiple dives, both manned and unmanned, were undertaken from Matsya-6000. The manned diving tests were performed to check the reliability of the life support system, an essential requirement for such deep ocean missions. 5. Matsya-6000 offers an endurance of 12 hours under normal operations and up to 96 hours in case of emergency for human safety. In addition to the scientific research and technological empowerment as the benefits, this mission is also an advancement and development in the underwater engineering innovations. BEYOND THE NUGGET: Deep sea mining and its regulation The intense oceanic activity around the world over the past two decades has focused on the deep ocean exploration for its economic resources. India's deep ocean mission also focuses on the same. Thus, it becomes crucial to understand deep-sea mining and its regulation. 1. Deep sea mining involves removing mineral deposits and metals from the ocean’s seabed. There are three types of such mining: (i) Taking deposit-rich polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor (ii) Mining massive seafloor sulphide deposits (iii) Stripping cobalt crusts from rock. 2. These nodules, deposits and crusts contain materials, such as nickel, rare earths, cobalt and more, that are needed for batteries and other materials used in tapping renewable energy and also for everyday technology like cellphones and computers. 3. Engineering and technology used for deep sea mining are still evolving. Companies and governments view these as strategically important resources that will be needed as onshore reserves are depleted and demand continues to rise. Regulation of Deep sea mining 1. Countries manage their own maritime territory and exclusive economic zones, while the high seas and the international ocean floor are governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). It is considered to apply to states regardless of whether or not they have signed or ratified it. 2. Under the treaty, the seabed and its mineral resources are considered the “common heritage of mankind” that must be managed in a way that protects the interests of humanity through the sharing of economic benefits, support for marine scientific research, and protecting marine environments. 3. According to the UNCLOS, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a country extends from the baseline of its coast to 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) into the sea. A nation has exclusive rights to living and non-living resources in the waters and on the seabed within its EEZ. Post Read Question With reference to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), consider the following statements: 1. The EEZ of a country extends from the baseline of its coast to 12 nautical miles into the sea. 2. A nation has exclusive rights to non-living resources in the waters and does not have any rights over living resources within its EEZ. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer Key (d) (Sources: Expert Explains: Why India needs to develop its deep sea capabilities, Samudrayaan: Matsya-6000 performs manned dives, wet tests off Chennai, moes.gov.in) 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for March 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨 Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
