BUENOS AIRES, November 15. /TASS/. Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov has set off for Smolensk Island to establish the first solo seasonal Antarctic research station, his son and expedition team leader Oskar Konyukhov told TASS.

"We're leaving a day earlier because bad weather is expected on November 15. The journey across the Drake Passage will take approximately four days," he said.

The team led by Konyukhov departed from the Argentine city of Ushuaia on a two-masted schooner. The vessel is carrying 21 expedition members and six crew members. They plan to spend around three days on the island constructing the station, and later they will leave Konyukhov alone until mid-March.

On the island, Konyukhov will conduct a series of scientific studies and experiments to determine the content of microplastics in the coastal waters of the Antarctic Peninsula and the level of air pollution. It took two years to get the project approved by international bodies, the traveler explained during a visit to the Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires. "Fifty-eight countries are studying Antarctica, and all 58 countries have signed off on the idea of a Russian researcher studying microplastics," he said.

If the experiment with the solo station proves successful, Fyodor Konyukhov will next travel to Antarctica in winter to spend nine months there, including in the polar night when it will be impossible to deliver provisions to him. The headquarters hopes this experience will pave the way for the creation of a new year-round Russian Antarctic station. "Modern technologies allow the station to operate on a one-person basis. No need for motor operators, diesel generators, or radio operators. There's satellite communications, solar panels, and a special battery," Oskar Konyukhov said.