China is planning to build an observatory next year on the icy shores of Antarctica to further study the origin of the universe and search for extra-terrestrial life, the Legal Evening News reported. Zhao Gang, head of Chinese Astronomical Society, broke the news during an international meeting on science and technology, saying the construction will begin next year. Read more
China has set up its third Antarctic research station, also the countrys first on the continents inland. The Kunlun station was erected at Dome Argus (Dome A), the poles highest icecap at 4,093 metres above the sea level, Tuesday by the countrys 25th expedition team to the South Pole.
After a three-week crawl carrying 625 tonnes of cargo towards the highest ice in Antarctica, a Chinese expedition is expected this week to begin building a research base at Dome Argus, or 'Dome A', 4,093 metres above sea level. The station, called Kunlun and scheduled to open on 28 January, will gather data in fields ranging from global climate change to the origin of the Universe. The 250-million-renminbi (US$37-million) Kunlun will be China's third Antarctic station, joining the Great Wall station in the South Shetland Islands and the Zhongshan station in east Antarctica.