With over 460 people on board, two Chinese icebreaker research ships and a cargo ship sailed for the Antarctic on Wednesday to complete China’s fifth station building on the world’s southernmost continent.
The construction of the station on the rocky, windswept Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea—a deep Southern Ocean harbor named after a 19th-century British explorer—will be the primary objective of China’s largest fleet of research vessels sent to the Antarctic.
In 2018, construction on the Pacific sector’s first Chinese station got underway. According to state television, it will be utilized to conduct environmental studies in the area.
China built four Antarctic research stations from 1985 to 2014. The fifth may be finished next year, according to a U.S. study. A satellite ground station and observatory are expected for the site, according to a CSIS study released this year. It might help China “fill in a major gap” in its continental reach.
According to the statement, the station is also in an excellent location to gather telemetry data on rockets launched from Australia’s new Arnhem Space Centre. It signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand.
China disputes claims that spying would take place on its stations. Mainly carrying crew and supplies for logistics, the two icebreakers, Xuelong 1 and Xuelong 2, set off from Shanghai. The name means “Snow Dragon” in Chinese.
The “Tianhui,” or “Divine Blessings,” cargo ship sailed from Zhangjiagang’s eastern port, carrying building supplies for the station.
One of the five-month mission’s objectives will be to conduct a climate change impact survey.
In addition, the two icebreakers will examine the surrounding waters in Prydez Bay, the southeast Antarctic’s Astronaut Sea, and the west’s Ross and Amundsen Seas.
According to official media, China’s 40th Antarctic Expedition would collaborate on logistical supply with nations including the U.S., U.K., and Russia.
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