New Delhi: At a news conclave, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh stated that by 2027 India will be achieving a rare global milestone
by simultaneously undertaking crewed missions to the deep sea and outer space. He described the dual missions as symbolic of India’s scientific maturity and its ability to pursue complex, parallel explorations in an integrated manner. Singh also noted that both of these missions were not merely for bragging rights or exploring new frontiers, but aimed at benefiting all humans on Earth through scientific advancements, “India’s missions, on land, in the ocean depths, and in space, are ultimately missions for humanity.”
India has a vast coastline of over 11,000 kilometres, which is rich in marine resources, ranging from minerals to fisheries. These resources have remained underutilised for decades. The Samudrayaan Mission is a strategic initiative to unlock this potential, while strengthening the role that India has to play in the global blue economy. The Prime Minister has highlighted the importance of both deep ocean exploration and outer space exploration in Independence Day addresses. India plans to conduct a crewed deep-sea mission to a depth of 500 metres in 2026, followed by a crewed dive to 6,000 metres in 2027 using the indigenous submerisble Matsya. The submersible has a titanium-alloy hull.
First Gaganyaan Crewed Flight in 2027
ISRO is aiming to conduct the first Gaganyaan crewed flight in 2027, preceded by three demonstration flights to verify that the brand new hardware developed by ISRO to take humans to Earth orbit and return them safely to the ground is safe for use by the Gaganyatris. The first flight in the campaign is uncrewed and is called Gaganyaan G1. ISRO actually started stacking the rocket for the mission back in December 2024, and was aiming to launch the flight by December 2025, but this is unlikely to take place by the end of the year, with ISRO now aiming to launch the flight in January 2026.
