China planning sophisticated undersea lab to lead research into ocean’s depths

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A new era of scientific underwater exploration may be in store after China announced details on a plan to develop a deep-sea “space station” capable of accommodating dozens of scientists and staying under water for months at a time.

Scientists living in the station will be able to cultivate and study deep-sea lifeforms, explore minerals, oil and gas resources, and even identify biological material that could have a use in pharmaceuticals, said Yan Kai, director of the State Key Laboratory of Deep Sea Manned Equipment on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress on Wednesday.

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It will have a variety of operating tools, such as a small manned submersible by which scientists can reach the deeper seabed and return to the station after completing a research mission, according to Yan.

China’s Jiaolong manned submersible can already dive to depths of over 7,000 meters, but it can only stay in the water for 12 hours and accommodate a few people.

Wan Gang, China’s minister of science and technology, announced in January that the deep-sea space station had been included in major state-funded project “Technological Innovation 2030.”

One of the biggest challenges will be sources of energy for the station. Designers are looking to utilize fuel cells or nuclear power, or even resources that may be exploited in the sea.