India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

Last Updated16/11/2021

India has successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent.
The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri on last week.
Four more batches shall be landing in Antarctica by air using DROMLAN facility and onboard chartered ice-class vessel MV VasiliyGolovnin by mid-January 2022.

Indian Antarctic Program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program under the control of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
The program, which began in 1981, has completed 40 scientific expeditions, and built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica.
These base stations are DakshinGangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).
As of today, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational.
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences—manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.

The 41st expedition has two major programs.
The first program encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station.
This will help explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past.
The second program involves reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri.
It will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice and greenhouse gases from a single climate archive for past 10,000 years.
The ice core drilling will be done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute.
In addition to accomplishing scientific programs, it will replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.
The crew is expected to return to Cape Town in late March/early April of 2022, leaving a team of 48 members for over winter.
It will also bring back the winter team of the preceding 40th expedition.