(Bloomberg) --
India is building its first manned submersible to study the deep sea and conduct a biodiversity assessment, an announcement that comes days after the country successfully landed a spacecraft near the moon's south pole.
The project is another sign that India wants to increase its clout globally as an innovator in science and technology, particularly in space and other unexplored regions. Kiren Rijiju, India's earth sciences minister, posted photos of the submersible on X, saying the mission will send three people to a depth of six kilometers (about four miles), and “will not disturb the ocean ecosystem.”
India Today reported that the country expects to complete building the submersible by 2026, and it will have a similar design to Oceangate's Titan, which went missing near the Titanic's resting place in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The US Coast Guard later announced the submersible underwent a catastrophic implosion that killed all five people on board, who were on an expedition to see the Titanic's wreckage. The news forced OceanGate to suspend all explorations and business operations.
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