Bharati (research station)

Bharati
Research Station
Bharati
Coordinates:
Country	India

Bharati (Sanskrit: भारती) is the name of an Antarctic research station commissioned by India. It is India's third Antarctic research facility and one of two active Indian research stations, alongside Maitri. India's first committed research facility, Dakshin Gangotri, is currently being used as a supply base. India has demarcated an area beside Larsemann Hills at 69°S, 76°E for construction. The research station has been operational since March 18, 2012, though it is still being run on trial basis and formal launch is awaited. Since its completion, India became one of nine nations to have multiple stations within the Antarctic Circle. Bharati's research mandate focuses on oceanographic studies and the phenomenon of continental breakup. Additionally, it also facilitates research to refine the current understanding of the Indian subcontinent's geological history. News sources have referred to the station variously as "Bharathi", "Bharti" and "Bharati".

Facilities

The project for setting up of the ground station is undertaken by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for a contract value of Rs.50 crore.

High-speed satellite raw data would be beamed in real time from Bharati Station to NRSC (National Remote Sensing Centre) in Hyderabad for processing the images once the project starts functioning.

In 2007, ECIL also established the communication link between Maitri, the second Indian research station in Antarctica and NCAOR. Among others, research on tectonics and geological structures would be undertaken at Bharati Station by Indian scientists.