Bharati Station | |
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  Bharati Station Location of Bharati Station inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:69°24′29″S76°11′14″E / 69.408030°S 76.187361°E /-69.408030; 76.187361 | |
| Country |  India |
| Location in Antarctica | Larsemann Hills Prydz Bay |
| Administered by | National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research |
| Established | 18 March 2012 (2012-03-18) |
| Elevation | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 46 |
| • Winter | 23 |
| Type | All-year round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
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| Website | National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research |
Bharati Heliport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research | ||||||||||
| Location | Bharati Station Larsemann Hills | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 69°24′24″S76°11′36″E / 69.406744°S 76.193330°E /-69.406744; 76.193330 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Bharati Heliport Location of airfield in Antarctica | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Bharati is a permanentAntarctic research station commissioned byIndia. It is India's third Antarctic research facility and one of two active Indian research stations, alongsideMaitri. India's first committed research facility,Dakshin Gangotri, is being used as a supply base. India has demarcated an area beside theLarsemann Hills at 69°S, 76°E for construction. The research station has been operational since 18 March 2012.[3][4] Since its completion, India has become one of nine nations to have multiple stations within theAntarctic Circle. Bharati's research mandate focuses on oceanographic studies and the phenomenon of continental breakup. It also facilitates research to refine the current understanding of the Indian subcontinent's geological history. News sources have referred to the station as "Bharathi",[5] "Bharti"[6] and "Bharati".[7][8]
The project for setting up of the ground was undertaken by theElectronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) from theNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for a contract value of₹230 crore (US$27 million).[9] The station building, with a floor area of 2,162 square metres (23,270 sq ft), was constructed in 127 days.[10] The station can host a total of 72 personnel, 47 in the main building all year round[1] and an additional 25 in shelters during summer. The main station building is supported by a fuel farm and station, sea water pump and a summer camp.[11]
This station is also being utilized by theIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for Antarctica Ground Station forEarth Observation Satellites (AGEOS), for receivingIndian Remote sensing Satellite (IRS) (likeCARTOSAT-2,SCATSAT-1,RESOURCESAT-2/2A andCARTOSAT-1 satellites) raw data and beaming back this high-speed satellite raw data in real time from Bharati Station to NRSC inHyderabad for processing the images since mid 2010s.[12]
In 2007, ECIL also established the communication link between Maitri, the second Indian research station in Antarctica, and theNational Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR). Among others, research on tectonics and geological structures would be undertaken at Bharati Station by Indian scientists.[13]
India also became the first nation to use the shipping containers as integral part of construction and hence constructing its base in record time and money.[14]
In January 2017,Felix Bast, one of the scientists on the 36th Indian expedition to the Antarctic, discovered a newmoss species atLarsemann Hills, near the Bharati research station, and named itBryum bharatiense.[15]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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