New Delhi [India], November 5 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Wednesday outlined India's ambitious plans for deep-sea exploration and human spaceflight, saying that India is progressing towards sending its first human deep-sea mission to a depth of up to 6,000 metres by 2028, 

Speaking at Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2026, Singh said, 'India's approach to ocean-related missions in recent years has increasingly been based on a mission-mode framework, bringing together multiple departments and institutions rather than confining research to individual ministries. There is growing convergence of ocean sciences, space technology, nuclear science, geology, electronics and robotics in advancing India's maritime and deep-ocean capabilities'

The Minister said that India's indigenous capabilities in deep-ocean exploration include the 'National Institute of Ocean Technology' (NIOT), Chennai, which has developed the capability to conduct trials at depths of 5,000 to 6,000 metres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin and the Ocean Mineral Explorer, 'which enables high-resolution exploration of hydrothermal sulphide deposits, several of which have already been identified.'

https://x.com/DrJitendraSingh/status/2117966038277280099?a=bkh0A5DKUXpMxlzkWXQ&s=20

'India is aiming for global competitiveness through indigenous capabilities and international cooperation. Deep Ocean resources will be a major source of economic value addition for achieving Viksit Bharat 2047'

'PM Sh @NarendraModi ji's reference to the 'Deep Ocean Mission' consecutively twice in his Independence Day address reflects the priority accorded to ocean resources at the highest level and their strategic importance for India's future. India is progressing towards sending its first human deep-sea mission to a depth of up to 6,000 metres by 2028, marking an important milestone in the country's indigenous deep-ocean exploration programme',' he added.

He also highlighted the importance of India's great frontiers and noted that Indian ocean is the only one ocean to be named after a country.

'Ocean is one of India's great frontiers; we are the only country in the world that has ocean named after us. Thanks to PM Modi that only after 2014 this rather much underexplored asset has been sought to be explored in the manner it deserved to be...' (ANI)