News > Politics

China’s 5th Antarctic station nearing completion

Heiner Kubny 13. November 2023 | Politics, Science

The design of China’s fifth Antarctic research station is inspired by the **Crux** constellation. The station can accommodate 80 expedition team members in summer and 30 members in winter. (Photo: PRIC)

Two Chinese icebreakers and a container ship set off for Antarctica on November 1, 2023 with more than 460 people on board for their 40th Antarctic expedition. The fleet’s destination is Inexpressible Island in the Ross Sea. The task is to complete the construction of China’s fifth station. This is the first time that China’s scientific research mission in Antarctica has been carried out by three ships.

Work on China’s first transmitter in the Pacific sector began in 2018. It is to be used to study the environment in the region, as Chinese state television reported. The facility is expected to include an observatory with a satellite ground station to help China close the large access gap to the continent.

The station’s position could also make it possible to collect signals from Australia and New Zealand, which are allied with the USA, and to collect telemetry data on rocket launches from both countries’ newly established space facilities. However, China China rejects allegations that its stations are used for espionage purposes.

After an impressive farewell, 460 employees of the Chinese Polar Institute will be on the move for the next 5 months. (Photo: PRIC)

The research icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon and Snow Dragon 2, departed from Shanghai, while the cargo ship Tian Hui departed from Zhangjiagang in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.

Part of the team of over 460 people will study the effects of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem, as well as the role of Antarctica in climate change. They will collaborate with Norwegian and Australian colleagues on cutting-edge research projects. The mission is expected to last five months.

Containers on Inexpressible Island in Antarctica in 2018, when China began building its fifth research station. (Photo: Xinhua)

As part of this expedition, a new scientific research station will be built along the coastal areas of the Ross Sea. From 1985 to 2014, China has built four research stations in Antarctica. China’s fifth research station on the continent will be the third permanently manned station.

The design of the station building is inspired by the Crux constellation, which served as a guide for the Chinese sailor Zheng He on his voyages. With a floor area of 5,244 square meters, the station offers space for 80 expedition team members in summer and 30 in winter.

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal

Other articles

Greenland's Political Marriage: Navigating the Harbor of Governance

Dr. Michael Wenger

After the election in Greenland, it is unclear with whom the big winner, the Demokratiit wants to sail into the safe harbour of a stable political marriage.

Study tracks male Sperm whales over thousands of kilometers

Julia Hager

Male sperm whales in the North Atlantic spend much of the year in Arctic waters, migrating south only for mating. For the first time, a research team has demonstrated that these migrations do not follow a fixed schedule.

A Dragon in Antarctica - Part Two

Guest Author

This year, China celebrates th 40th anniversary of its first Antarctic station, the Great Wall (Chángchéng). IN this tow-part series, Polar Historian and book author Jean de Pomereu presents an exclusive view on the Chinese Antarctic Program and its scientific and political value from the past to the present.

The Demokraatit party must forge alliances

Camille Lin