The shared timeline indicates that the new Indian research base in Antarctica should be finished by January 2029. India has played a significant role in Antarctic research for more than 40 years. It has launched annual expeditions and established bases on the “white continent,” which has no native people.
At the southernmost point of the planet, Antarctica is a vast land covered in ice. It is far to the south of India. India is on the opposite side of this faraway continent. The journey to Antarctica from India typically involves crossing the equator, traversing the Indian Ocean, and traveling toward the polar region.
The journey from India to Antarctica is complicated, lengthy, and frequently takes several days. It typically begins with a flight to a nation that is closer to Antarctica, such as South Africa, Australia, or Argentina, before traveling by sea to the continent.
Antarctica is hug it covers nearly 14 million square kilometers and is about 1.3 times the size of India. With interior temperatures ranging from -20 to -60 degrees Celsius and milder conditions along the coast, it is the coldest place on Earth. 75% of the Earth’s freshwater is contained on the continent, most of it frozen.
According to Mirza Javed Beg, director of the Centre, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) is working toward upgrading Maitri, India’s second Antarctica-based research station. India currently operates two Antarctica-based research stations, Maitri and Bharati. Dakshin Gangotri was the first station built prior to 1985, but it is no longer in use.
The nation in South Asia recently made public its intention to establish a brand-new Antarctic base. In East Antarctica, the new research station would be located close to the existing Indian Antarctic base, Maitri. A preliminary topographical survey had already been ordered, according to a government release, and the nation had already chosen the location for the new research station.
Maitri-2: India’s Upcoming Antarctic Research Base Facility
Maitri-2: India’s upcoming research facility in the Antarctic By 2029, India intends to construct the Maitri-2 Station in Eastern Antarctica, close to the 1988 Maitri Station. India’s Antarctic research capabilities will be significantly enhanced by this new facility, which will house approximately 90 researchers.
The Earth Sciences Minister made the announcement that the station would start operating in 2029 on December 21, 2023. A preliminary land survey is being carried out in order to facilitate the construction of a road for access to the location that has been selected for Maitri-II.
Why is There A Brand-New Indian Research Base Facility in Antarctica?
According to the government, the country must begin construction on a new research base because the existing Maitri research station in Antarctica is very old.
Maitri was supposed to meet the needs of India for ten years, but it has far exceeded those goals. A new research base, on the other hand, has been proposed to help Indian research efforts in Antarctica and overcome the limitations of the existing research bases.
Program For The Indian Antarctic
The first Indian expedition to Antarctica took place in 1981, marking the beginning of India’s Antarctic research efforts.
Research base station Maitri became operational in 1989, whereas the first Indian research base, Dakshin Gangotri, was established in 1983.
Maitri and Bharati, India’s 2012-commissioned bases in Antarctica, are currently in operation. 134 shipping containers were used in the construction of Bharati. Following its submersion in ice in 1988–1989, the Dakshin Gangotri research base was abandoned in February 1990. Later, it was made into a supply base.
The Indian Antarctic Program is managed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which is based in Goa. Expeditions to Antarctica are part of the Indian program to study marine, biological, geological, and atmospheric sciences.
By DNC