China's 40th Antarctic expedition sets sail to build new research station

China's 40th Antarctic scientific expedition team set sail on Wednesday morning, embarking on a journey that is expected to last for over five months. 　

The expedition's key task is　to build　a new Antarctic station near the Ross Sea, which will be China's first research station dedicated to the Pacific sector and is planned to be finished by February 2024. 　 T

he expedition team is comprised of more than 460 researchers from over 80 domestic institutions and is being led by three ships, including two icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong　2. 　

A total of 94 members of the Antarctic construction team, who are from China Railway Construction Engineering Group, attended a setting-off ceremony on Monday in east China's Shanghai. The new research station will be the largest one that China has built on the Antarctic continent, a general manager of China Railway Construction Engineering Group told China News Service. 　

The new Antarctic station will be China's third permanent research station after the Zhongshan Station and Great Wall Station. It will be China's fifth research station in Antarctica.