Ramón Larramendi is scheduled to set out on 18 October for an 85-day crossing of Antarctica. The team will cover 3,400 kilometres to reach the Italian base of Concordia, with much of the route crossing areas where scientific data are scarce.
The expedition will use the 15-metre Trineo de Viento. Its sails can propel the vehicle at up to 80 kilometres per hour, while solar panels will power the scientific equipment. Organizers call it the first crossing to pair a fully wind-powered traverse with zero-emission scientific work.
The route will start near Russia's Novolazárevskaya base in the Tierra de la Reina Maud and finish at Concordia, on the ice plateau known as Domo C. The plan includes five extended stops for experiments. The team is expected back in early February.
The sled will carry 250 kilograms of scientific material.
Larramendi and three other expedition members will live aboard the sled until February. It has cabins and solar panels, and the camp will also include a separate tent. The group comprises three Spaniards and a Polish scientist.
After landing at the South Pole, the team will head east across the ice toward Concordia. Their journey will start from a Russian base where a statue of Vladímir Lenin still stands.
The research spans atmospheric pollution and planetary exploration. Scientists from the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, led by Antonio Alcamí, will collect air samples to look for emerging viruses in the continent's interior. Portable labs equipped with genetic sequencers will let the team confirm findings by PCR and identify viral mutations without sending samples to Spain.
The researchers want to determine whether pathogens such as avian flu H5N1 could spread through isolated animal colonies. They will also track how the viruses mutate in one of the planet's most remote environments. The project will assess the possible effects of viral presence on the polar environment.
The Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas will look for signs of human activity in the atmosphere over East Antarctica's isolated interior. Researchers from the Universidad de Oviedo will study how pollution and dust affect the ice's ability to reflect sunlight. Earlier snow research has also examined the effects of reduced reflectivity in colder environments.
The expedition will test conditions relevant to future human missions to the Moon and Mars. The Universidad de Alcalá de Henares will monitor how the crew responds to extreme cold. That study is one of 16 research lines tied to space exploration.
Larramendi's design brings modern equipment together with knowledge he gained from the Inuit. He speaks their language and, through earlier experience among them, has studied their understanding of polar terrain. That tradition shaped the vehicle's design. The scientific systems have undergone more than three years of testing and adjustment.
The Ministry of Science, New idea and Universities supports the campaign. NASA and six Spanish universities are also involved. Secretary of State for Science Juan Cruz Cigudosa said the project demonstrates Spain's research capacity and represents a radical shift in the country's Antarctic strategy.
The AS report details preparations for Spain's XL Antarctic contingent.
The mission will test whether a wind-powered vehicle can bring laboratories and instruments into Antarctica's interior, where logistics have made access difficult. If the planned work succeeds, Spain will conduct experiments on the atmosphere and biological activity, as well as environmental conditions and human performance, in places that have barely been studied.
The vehicle's wind and solar systems give the expedition a low-impact way to operate. Its most valuable result will be data from areas where sustained research has so far proved difficult.
