In 2014, China established a second inland summer station, Taishan Camp (WAP CHN-NEW), located about halfway along the traverse between Zhongshan and Kunlun Stations. The purpose of this station was both logistical and scientific, with a focus on glaciology, meteorology, and space physics. The following year, 2015, CHINARE (Chinese Antarctic Program) put into service its Snow Eagle 601 Basler aircraft (reengineered around a World War II airframe) and launched an array of three polar observation satellites as part of its CubeSat mission.
Situated on the inland ice sheet at an altitude of 2,621 meters, it lies about 520 km from Zhongshan Station (WAP CHN-Ø2) and 715 km from Kunlun Station (WAP CHN-NEW).
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The Antarctic Taishan Station (aka Taishan Camp) at 73°51′50″South, 76°58′27″East in Princess Elizabeth Land in East Antarctica, is China’s second Antarctic inland Summer Research Station completed on February 8, 2014. by the 30th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 30).
After 45 days of hard work, Taishan Station looks like a traditional Chinese lantern. Construction of it began in December 2013. The 28 strong-team braved temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees celsius, snowstorms, and high-altitude conditions to build the station.
It can house as many as 20 people and will be used as a Scientific Research Station during the Antarctic summers, lasting from December to March.
Teams based there, will provide logistical support and study the area’s geology, glaciers, geo-magnetism and atmosphere