Minister of State (I/C) for M/o Earth Sciences and M/o Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has informed that The Ministry of Earth Sciences has launched the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is one of the collaborators of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation of Deep Ocean Mission.
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is developing a manned submersible with a capacity to carry three human beings to 6000 m ocean depth. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is involved in developing a titanium alloy human sphere of 2.1 m diameter for the manned submersible.
The overall estimated cost of the Deep Ocean Mission is Rs. 4077 crores for a period of five years (2021 to 2026).