Maitri II Station:
The Finance Ministry has granted approval for Maitri II — the country’s newest research station proposed to come up in eastern Antarctica.
- It is India’s newest research station proposed to come up in eastern Antarctica.
- It will be larger than Maitri I, with plans to design it as a green research base.
- The proposal includes using renewable energy sources — solar power for summer expeditions and wind energy to harness the strong Antarctic winds to run the station’s operations.
- It is planned to deploy automated instruments onboard Maitri II which will keep recording data and relay it to mainland India, even if the station remains unmanned for some period.
- The construction of the research station is expected to be completed by January 2029.
- Nodal Agency: National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is the nodal agency responsible for operating and organising missions to Antarctica and the Arctic.
- Maitri Station has been hosting researchers since 1989, and is located along the Schirmacher Oasis, a 20 km-long ice-free landmass in East Antarctica.
- It comprises the main building, a fuel farm, a fuel station, a lake water pump house, a summer camp, and several smaller containerised modules.
- Maitri can accommodate between 25 and 40 scientists, depending on mission requirements and season.
- India’s other research base in Antarctica: Dakshin Gangotri (first base in Antarctica), operated for a few years. Bharati which is operational since 2012.
