Thiruvananthapuram: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here will build the deep underwater vehicle for "Samudrayan" project — India's daring mission to send human beings for sub-sea activities.
The circular-shaped underwater vehicle will be made of a titanium alloy to be produced in the Chavara-based Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) based on the crew module building technology of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for use in spacecraft.
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is a major research centre of the ISRO.
The Central Government is planning to undertake the Samudrayan project, which envisages 6-km deep sea drilling, in 2024. It will be a part of the Rs 6,000 crore Deep Ocean Mission.
At first, the plan was to import the underwater vehicle. It was then that VSSC Director S Somanathan mooted the idea that the vehicle could be made of titanium metal alloy. Three people can travel in the vehicle with a two-meter diameter.
The work on the vehicle will be completed within 18 months. Two vehicles will be built, with one for experimentation purposes.
With this technology, India joins the elite club of nations such as the USA, Russia, Japan, France and China to have such underwater vehicles.
Earlier, the sub-sea activities up to 600 meter was undertaken under the aegis of the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology. The ISRO's help was sought to undertake the remaining technically complex deep-sea exploration.
The ISRO took up this project along with its ambitious work on the Ganganyaan project, which is aimed at sending human beings to space.