Russia's Drifting Station to Start Working on April 25-26

North Pole-32, or SP-32, Russia's drifting research polar station, will start working on April 25-26.

The ice-floe the station will be built on has already been chosen, said senior researcher Vladimir Sokolov. Three members of the expedition and a few persons who are building the runway and will be arranging cargo deliveries to the station were disembarked on the floe last week.

The runway must be completed on April 23, said Sokolov. It will be 1,500 metres long and will be able to receive cargo aircraft.

Four platforms with cargo weighing a total of 28 tons will be dropped on the floe on Monday. The rest 50 tons of cargo will be delivered to the station by An-12 heavy aircraft.

The greater part of the cargo is to be supplied before May 1, according to Sokolov. Research work will begin earlier, on April 25-26.