30 October 2014
Chinese research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon) set off on Thursday from Shanghai on the country's 31st Antarctic expedition, scheduled to return in April next year. An important task for the mission is the building of a base station for the BeiDou navigation satellite system. The base will provide data and technical support for the navigation system and for Antarctic surveys and mapping, according to Liu Cigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration.