India in Antarctica

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Cover all news, updates and discussion on Indian missions in Antarctica

 

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OP: @swesh



Source: https://vedas.sac.gov.in/static/pdf/Exploring_the_Antarctic.pdf

 

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National Polar Data Center:

https://npdc.ncaor.gov.in/npdc/homepage.action

Tracks all Indian missions and scientific data collected from Antractica.

 

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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST for Design, Construction, Commissioning and Delivery of Polar Research Vessel

 

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View: https://x.com/ncaor_goa/status/1636611527473070080

 

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View: https://x.com/iamkrishradha/status/1701573639341003009

 

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View: https://x.com/iamkrishradha/status/1701833383272460399

 

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View: https://x.com/iamkrishradha/status/1702528831964524870

 

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India to replace ‘very old’ Maitri research station in Antarctica by 2029

OP: @Indx TechStyle



The Maitri-2 station will be established in East Antarctica near the existing one, and it will be able to house about 90 scientists.

India has decided to build a new research station in Antarctica, replacing its “very old” predecessor Maitri station.

The Maitri-2 station will be established in East Antarctica near the existing one, and it will be able to house about 90 scientists. The establishment of the new research facility will enhance the quality of Indian research regarding the White Continent.

The existing station, Maitri, was set up in 1988 and was supposed to be operational for ten years only.

Initial plan revealed in 2017

There was a need to replace the 35-year-old facility for two decades, but it was only in 2017 that then-secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, revealed that the government planned to replace the Maitri station “in the next three to four years.”

India’s Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju on December 21 stated that the station will be ready to use by 2029.

In a written reply to the parliament’s upper house, Rajya Sabha, the minister stated that the site for the new research station -- Maitri-II -- has been identified and a preliminary topographical survey for the approach road is underway.

Indian Antarctic Act 2022

The new research base will adhere to environmental protocols laid out by international bodies and the Indian Antarctic Act passed in 2022.

“India passed the Indian Antarctic Act in 2022. Moreover, the Indian Antarctic Environmental Protection Rules, 2023, clearly state our commitment to protect the Antarctic environment,” said Dr Thamban Meloth, director at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).

NCPOR submits proposal to the centre

Goa-based NCPOR has already submitted a proposal for the approval of the central government.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences has already approved a design competition for the upcoming project.

According to NCPOR, master planning, hiring of consultants and designing of the infrastructure will take 18 months, after which the contract of the project will be awarded.

Countering the China threat

India’s strategic Antarctica move comes at a time when China is making wide strides in the research space for the White Continent.

China is already on its way to building its fifth research base on the continent, for which it has dispatched more than 450 personnel to the snowy continent.

 

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India to convey its plans to build a new research station in Antarctica at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting​

Ministry of Earth Sciences, during an interaction with PTI, in New Delhi, on May 8, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
India will formally convey its plan to develop a new research station in Antarctica to the governing authority of the icy continent when the body meets for its annual meeting in Kochi later this month.

The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection will be held in Kochi from May 20-30 where countries engaged in research in the southern polar region will share the outcome of their scientific pursuits and also their future plans.

"This year, we are going to inform the ATCM that we are planning to go for a revamp of our research station Maitri. Revamp means, Maitri is very old, we have to re-construct," M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said in an interaction with PTI editors in Delhi.​

India has two active research stations — Maitri and Bharti — in Antarctica. The first research station, Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1983, had to be abandoned after it sank in the snow.

Among the scientific community, Maitri, which was built about 35 years ago, is called a village, while the 12-year-old Bharti is a state-of-the-art facility with all the trappings of a luxury hotel, but without the elaborate staff.

Once the Maitri-2 research station is built, the Maitri station is expected to be turned into a summer camp and designated as a monument.​