China plans to develop its space facilities in Antarctica as part of the country’s ambitious goals to become a leading space power.
The country’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) will develop the project after winning the tender with its 43.95 million yuan (£3.39m) bid.
Ground stations help track the tens of thousands of satellites and other objects in Earth’s orbit and predict where they will be at any given time.
China’s new ground stations will be built at Zhongshan, located by Prydz Bay in East Antarctica, south of the Indian Ocean.
State media Global Times stated that the ground stations in the Antarctic scientific research base would help China’s eight marine observation satellites scout for marine resources exploitation, monitor the ecology of coastal zones and marine disasters, and develop China’s maritime economy.
However, some nations have expressed concerns that China could use these stations for espionage...