Photo: Courtesy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation

China will build a ground station in Antarctica for ocean observation satellite to promote the high-quality development of marine economy, the Global Times learned from China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), a leading Chinese high-tech company, on Thursday.

As part of China's ocean satellite ground segment, the ground station will be constructed in China's scientific research base Zhongshan Station in Antarctica, using the aerospace design from CASIC, including the construction of antenna bases, receiving room and the power and communication cables.

"Build a satellite ground station in Antarctica is both an opportunity and challenge for us," an employee from the project team told the Global Times, given the hostile environment in Antarctica and limited theoretical research and methodology of engineering project to learn from.

The project group has been stationed in Zhongshan Station with China's 35th Antarctic expedition team in 2018 and spent 47 days investigating places where they are going to build antenna bases and lay cables. They also spent time testing the insulation materials used on buildings.

To protect the ecosystem and environment in Antarctica, prefabricated buildings will be used to reduce on-site operation. CASIC's self-developed environmental-friendly insulation materials will also be used in the following construction.

Launching its first marine satellite in May 2002, China has put a total of eight satellites into space to observe the ocean's color, temperature, marine dynamics parameters as well as the resources and ecology of coastal zones. These observations can effectively serve marine disaster monitoring, marine resources exploitation, and the development of marine economy.