Advances in Chinese polar scientific exploration using high-altitude balloons

Abstract

Polar Regions, which generally refer to Antarctica and the Arctic, play a key role in global change and are optimal locations for space observation. The expansion of polar exploration and research regarding global climate issues and development of future environmental policies has become important and debated worldwide. China has been conducting research in Polar Regions since 1980 and has accomplished a series of scientific achievements. However, China’s polar investigations began somewhat later that those of Europe and the United States, with insufficient observational data and limited diversity of detection platforms. To solve the problem, high-altitude scientific balloons have been used as an important means to help China rapidly to advance exploration in Polar Regions. High-altitude balloons offer many advantages, such as stable flight for several months, strong carrying capacity, flexibility with experiments, low cost, and fast recovery. For many years, the United States, Japan, Europe, and other developed countries have used high-altitude scientific balloons to conduct polar scientific experiments. Polar Regions are ideal for long-term scientific exploration using high-altitude balloons due to polar vortices (atmospheric circulation), continuous solar radiation (summer polar days), and especially because there are no airspace restrictions in Antarctica. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has carried out multiple space exploration projects using high-altitude balloons at Xianghe Station since 1978 and has conducted a series of experiments using high-altitude balloons at the ice-laden “Third Pole” in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in collaboration with the Aerospace Information Research Institute. Sixteen high-altitude balloon flight tests were successfully deployed in 2019. Within the field of high-altitude balloons for near-space exploration, China has an excellent scientific research team and technical foundation that is at par with those of other countries. However, scientific exploration based on high-altitude balloon platforms in Polar Regions remains challenging. To serve the relevant national strategies, it is needed to define major scientific questions in polar exploration and conduct research in a timely manner. Owing to the unique advantages of polar regions, China can carry out polar exploration using high-altitude balloon platforms for a variety of tasks (e.g., in-situ measurement, dropsonde sounding, astronomical observation, and remote sensing) from different scientific disciplines, such as environmental science, atmospheric science, space weather, planetary observation, solar physics, and biological research). Based on China’s current balloon exploration capabilities, relevant work will be carried out step by step from earth observation, sky monitoring to near-space detection, aiming at an integrated capability. The specific research subjects include: (1) Polar ice sheet change; (2) polar geological environment studies; (3) polar habitat monitoring; (4) polar space environment monitoring; (5) polar atmosphere detection; (6) polar near-space biological research; (7) planetary science; and (8) astronomical observation. High-altitude balloons will also play an important role in future studies involving in-situ measurement and dropsonde sounding, astronomical observation, and remote sensing, which will further enhance China’s scientific research in the Polar Regions. This will enhance China’s status and legitimacy in the peaceful use and development of Polar Regions and would give China more clout internationally in polar affairs.