Russia has reinforced its title as a conqueror of the White Continent: the new Vostok research and wintering complex has officially started operating in Antarctica. About 70% of the funding for this nationally important project came from the state budget: 8.313 billion rubles. The station was built in less than five years, which is a record time for such a facility in Antarctica by world standards.
The complex was launched in pilot operation in January 2024 by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the presence of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. During these nine months of polar winter, the complex operated autonomously and successfully passed the tests: at temperatures below -80°C outside, the premises maintained up to +25°C. A comfortable temperature regime was maintained not only in the living rooms, but also in the laboratories, work areas and technical compartments.
NZK Vostok is fully staffed and ready to receive polar explorers. The station can comfortably accommodate up to 35 scientists during the summer seasonal work and up to 15 people during the wintering period. The station's five modules feature comfortable living rooms, modern laboratories, a medical unit with an operating room, a hyperbaric chamber, a dental and X-ray room, a recreation room with billiards, a cinema, a gym and a sauna. Most life support systems have backup power in case of an emergency. The station is also equipped with high-quality Internet access, which allows you to use familiar messengers and call loved ones. We have done everything possible to make the new complex truly comfortable for our polar explorers.
The new station consists of five modules with a total length of 140 meters and a maximum height of 17.5 meters. The modules are installed on 36 three-meter supports, which can be additionally raised to remove snow. The body of the new station is protected around the perimeter by insulation with a thickness of 0.8 to 1 meter. Inside, there are modern scientific laboratories, residential and public areas, power centers and technical units for the water purification and storage system, as well as a garage.
According to the AARI press service, the only Russian station in Central Antarctica will become an important logistics hub for the implementation of major scientific projects to study the Earth's paleoclimate and the relict subglacial Lake Vostok.
A new meteorological complex will also be created at Vostok, the only station in the southern hemisphere for measuring the PC index, which allows tracking solar activity and its impact on life on the planet. UV index monitoring will be carried out to warn and predict the level of exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation on the human body at the Vostok station, and cosmic dust will be collected and studied.
A phytotechnical complex will also be launched at the new station to test modern methods of round-the-clock plant cultivation. Similar technologies can be used in future space missions to support the life of stations.