On Saturday, November 1, 2025, China launched its 42nd Antarctic expedition. This pioneering mission aims to conduct deep drilling experiments on the planet’s coldest continent, seeking to unravel its evolutionary processes and discover potential natural resources.
While China has regularly sent expeditions to Antarctica, operating five research stations across the resource-rich landmass, this marks the first instance where their team will specifically focus on drilling into the continental bedrock.
Numerous other nations, such as those involved in the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA), have previously conducted similar drilling operations to investigate the continent’s natural wealth.
Wei Fuhai, the leader and chief scientist of China’s 42nd Antarctic expedition, informed Xinhua that during this particular mission, China intends to undertake scientific drilling experiments in lakes situated deep beneath the Antarctic inland ice sheet for the very first time.
“Utilizing advanced, domestically developed hot-water and thermal-melting drill systems, our team will perform clean drilling and retrieve samples from ice exceeding 3,000 meters in thickness,” Mr. Wei explained. This venture underscores China’s ongoing expansion of its scientific presence in Antarctica.
Just last year, China inaugurated its first overseas atmospheric monitoring station on the continent, alongside a specialized telescope designed to harness Antarctica’s exceptional atmospheric clarity for infrared and millimeter-wave observations. The state-run Xinhua news agency confirmed that the 42nd expedition departed from Shanghai on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Subglacial lakes in Antarctica are known for their harsh, extreme environments, including immense pressure, freezing temperatures, complete darkness, and low nutrient levels (oligotrophy). Despite these challenges, they harbor unique ecosystems and contain invaluable records of ice-sheet history and past climate changes.
Mr. Wei emphasized that studying these lakes is crucial for comprehending sedimentary processes and the evolution of life itself. To deepen our understanding of Antarctica’s pivotal role in global climate change, the expedition team will also gather extensive long-term observational data from critical areas like the Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea.
Long Wei, deputy director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, stated, “Continuously improving our capacity to understand, protect, and utilize Antarctica is not just vital for China’s development as a strong maritime nation, but also represents a new contribution towards fostering a community with a shared future for humanity.”
Official media reports indicate that China operationalized its expansive fifth research station in Antarctica last year. This facility, spanning 5,244 square meters, can accommodate 80 expedition members in summer and 30 in winter.
Across Antarctica, 70 permanent research stations currently operate, representing 29 nations from every habitable continent.
Notable presences include India, with its two active research stations, Maitri and Bharti; the U.S. with six stations; and Australia with three. China became a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty in 1983, which establishes the continent as a natural reserve and expressly forbids commercial resource extraction.