A prototype of the MATSYA 6000, a submersible made by Chennai’s National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
| Photo Credit: Ravindran R.

Union Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

India will launch the Chandrayaan-4 mission to bring back samples of moon rocks to the Earth in 2027, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said.

Chandrayaan-4 will involve at least two separate launches of the heavylift LVM-3 rocket that will carry five different components of the mission which will be assembled in orbit.

“The Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to collect samples from the moon’s surface and bring them back to the Earth,” Mr. Singh told PTI Videos in an interview.

The Minister said the Gaganyaan mission, which involves sending Indian astronauts in a specially designed spacecraft to low-earth orbit and bringing them back safely, will be launched next year.

In 2026, India will also launch Samudrayaan, which will take three scientists in a submersible up to a depth of 6,000 metres in the deep ocean, to explore the seabed.

“This achievement will align with the timelines of India’s other landmark missions, including the Gaganyaan space mission, marking a pleasant coincidence in the nation’s journey toward scientific excellence,” Mr. Singh said.

Mr. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the Samudrayaan mission in his Independence Day speech.

The Minister underscored the potential of the Samudrayaan to unlock vast resources, including critical minerals, rare metals, and undiscovered marine biodiversity, all of which are crucial for the country’s economic growth and environmental sustainability.

The first uncrewed mission of the Gaganyaan project carrying a robot, ‘Vyommitra’, will also take place this year.

Mr. Singh said that while the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established in 1969, it took more than two decades to set up the first launch pad in 1993.

The second launch pad came up in 2004, another decade-long gap. However, in the last 10 years, India’s space sector has undergone unprecedented expansion, both in terms of infrastructure and investment, he said.

“We are now building a third launch pad and for the first time for heavier rockets, and expanding also beyond Sriharikota with a new launch site in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district to launch small satellites,” Mr. Singh said.

The Minister said that India’s space economy, currently valued at $8 billion, is projected to reach $44 billion in the next decade, further cementing India’s role as a global space powerhouse.

The reforms initiated in the past decade, including the unlocking of the space sector for private players, have led to greater innovation, investment, and international collaborations, Mr. Singh said.

“With new infrastructure, increased private participation and record-breaking investments, India is poised for even greater achievements in the years to come,” he said.

Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said India’s deep-ocean submersible Matsya6000 was “well on course” and could be tested by the “end of this year”. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

India should be able to send its scientists to study the deep ocean 6 km under the sea surface in its own Samudrayaan by the end of next year, Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.

In a video interview to PTI, Mr. Rijiju said India’s deep-ocean submersible Matsya6000, which will take humans up to a depth of 6,000 metres under the sea, was “well on course” and could be tested by the “end of this year”.

Also Read | Inside India’s ‘Deep Ocean Mission’, a challenge harder than going to space

“When you talk about Samudrayaan, you are now talking about our mission to go up to around 6,000 metres, 6 km deep inside the ocean, where even light cannot reach. I can say that as far as our Matsaya, the machine which will take human beings inside, (is concerned), it’s well on course,” Mr. Rijiju said.

The Minister said he had reviewed the project and scientists should be able to carry out the first shallow-water testing by the end of this year.

“But broadly I feel confident that by the end of 2025, that means next year, we should be able to send our human crew to the deep ocean, more than 6,000 metres deep,” Mr. Rijiju said.

Samudrayaan, or the deep ocean mission, was initiated in 2021. The mission entails undertaking a crewed expedition to reach a depth of 6,000 metres to the ocean bed in the central Indian Ocean using Matsya6000, designed to accommodate a crew of three members.

The submersible will be equipped with a suite of scientific sensors and tools, and have an operational endurance of 12 hours, which is extendable up to 96 hours in the event of an emergency.

So far, countries such as the U.S., Russia, China, France and Japan have carried out successful deep-ocean crewed missions.

India is poised to join the ranks of these nations by demonstrating expertise of and capability for such missions.