To be constructed at a cost of Rs 200 crore, “Bharati” will have an accompanying earth station to receive satellite images and transmitting them back to India in real time. It is coming up at the Larsemann Hills on the eastern coast of Antarctica.
“The new station will have modern facilities and connectivity like a regular living space," said Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal after remotely unveiling the foundation stone of “Bharati” at a function here. Facilities at Maitri are also being upgraded.
With the third station, India is consolidating its strength on the icy continent. While scientific objectives are immediate goals, the real reason behind the consolidation is aimed at sharing the oil and mineral resources when the Antarctica treaty would be open for review.
At the moment no nation can exploit Antarctica resources, which are treated as the common heritage of the mankind.
The earth station would be of great advantage because currently many satellite images are being received at a base station in Svalbard in Norway’s Arctic region, from where they are sent on a disc every 2-3 days.
“Indian Space Research Organisation is paying a heavy sum for that every year, which can be saved. Also we would get the data in real time," said Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.
Once the station was ready, close to 35 scientists and 10 logistics persons would stay in “Bharati” throughout the year, he added.
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