ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. The North Pole - 42 expedition to study the Arctic's dynamically changing processes may start in late summer - early autumn in 2024. It will be the second voyage of the North Pole ice-resistant self-propelled platform, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg) Alexander Makarov told reporters.
"The North Pole - 42 expedition will take place, and we are getting ready for it," he said. "The research program is already clear; it will be adjusted according to results of the North Pole - 41 expedition."
"Given we do not have any technical delays, North Pole - 42 is due in the coming year 2024," he said. "We plan to depart in August, a month earlier than we did last year, so that to have it frozen (into the floe) in September already."
"This would be an optimal variant," he added.
Right now, it is most important for scientists to complete the first expedition onboard the platform - from the departure to returning.
"No doubt, the next expedition will be even more productive, and in future we will be drifting regularly," he said.
About expedition
The North Pole - 41 expedition continues the program of complex drifting research in the Arctic's high latitudes, founded by Soviet scientists. The world's first North Pole ("North Pole - 1") polar research drifting Arctic station began working on May 21, 1937. As many as 40 such expeditions have been organized.
In 2013, a team of scientists was evacuated from the North Pole - 40 drifting station, and the program was suspended for almost 10 years. In 2022, the program of drifting Arctic stations was resumed at a new technological level - the expedition is supported by the North Pole ice-resistant platform.
The North Pole, the world's first ice-resistant self-propelled platform, is designed for year-round expeditions in the Arctic Ocean's northern latitudes. The platform does not require an icebreaker to sail to a designated work location. It may drift in the water area for up to two years to return to port on its own. The vessel takes 14 crew and 34 scientific personnel. The platform is equipped with an onboard scientific complex of 15 laboratories, a mobile field camp for accommodation on ice floes.