On October 21, 2022, the solemn start of the 15th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition was given at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

This year, 12 people will go to Antarctica under the guidance of an experienced polar explorer – Head of the Antarctic expeditions Alexei Gaidashov. As part of the expedition, scientists from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Republican Center for Polar Research, Institute of Physics, Institute of Nature Management, SSPA «SPC of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Bioresources»), Belarusian State University, Belhydromet and other organizations of the country.

The team consists of specialists who have already visited Antarctica (7 people) and those who will go to the Ice Continent for the first time (5 people). These are:
- Aleksey Gaidashov - Head of the expedition;
- Vladimir Nesterovich - head of the seasonal field base "Mountain Vechernyaya";
- Alexander Abaturin - electrician, specialist in VHF and HF);
- Sergey Lyuty - leading specialist, Head for food production;
- Pavel Rostov - chief specialist, snowmobile mechanic, fitter, welder;
- Vladislav Bazylevich - leading specialist, researcher - physicist;
- Pavel Shablyko - leading specialist, researcher - geophysicist;
- Nikita Iziderov - leading specialist, researcher employee - meteorologist;
- Vitaly Lukin - leading specialist, researcher - biologist;
- Alexei Borisovets - leading specialist, researcher - ozonometrist;
- Kirill Ryabychin - leading specialist, researcher - ecologist;
- Oleg Peshkov - chief specialist, surgeon.

The members of the expedition will continue equipping our station in the area of Mount Vechernyaya, conduct dozens of scientific studies and experiments, perform thousands of scientific measurements of natural parameters within the framework of the subprogram «Development of the Belarusian Antarctic Station» of the State Program «Scientific and Innovative Activities of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus» at 2021–2025 years.

Speaking at the event, Academician Sergei Chizhik, First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, stressed that the main goal of the current expedition is to obtain new significant scientific results. «There are many scientists among you. I am sure that the time has come to prepare a serious scientific monograph based on the results of scientific research of the Antarctic expeditions of the Academy of Sciences», Sergey Chizhik stressed.

Speaking about the scientific results obtained during previous expeditions, Academician Alexander Kilchevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, noted that: «Only during the 14th BAE last year, work was successfully carried out on eight scientific tasks of the program, most of which are headed by scientific institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Institute of Physics, Institute of Nature Management, Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Bioresources), as well as the National Scientific Center for Monitoring the Ozonosphere of BSU. Six additional scientific tasks and experiments were implemented with the participation of scientific departments of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Physical Culture and Sports of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus. During the 14th BAE, the expedition members took part in the implementation of two international research projects.These are the German-Belarusian research project «Instability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet» and the Turkish-Belarusian scientific project to study the content of persistent organic pollutants, including the possible presence and migration of microplastic particles in the marine area and fresh water bodies located in the area of the Belarusian Antarctic Station», - said Alexander Kilchevsky.

In turn, the Head of the 15th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition, Aleksey Gaidashov, stressed that the planned expedition will be the most complete with a new instrument base. «These new devices are the latest Belarusian developments. This is another qualitative step», said Alexei Gaidashov.

Already on October 25, the main group of participants of the 15th BAE flies to Cape Town for a seven-day self-isolation, after which they go by air to Antarctica. At the same time, the general cargo and 2 more expedition members will arrive on board the Russian ship at the end of December or at the beginning of January.During the 15th seasonal Belarusian Antarctic Expedition 2022-2023, polar explorers will have to study spatiotemporal changes and trends in the characteristics of atmospheric aerosol, snow and ice cover, water surface in the area of Mount Vechernyaya station, to create a seismic station in area of the BAS location, to study the tectonic structure of the Vechernegorsk structure on the basis of geological and geophysical studies of the earth's crust, to carry out field studies of living marine, freshwater and terrestrial resources in order to study the dynamics of the state of the biotic components of East Antarctica, etc.

The return of the 15th seasonal Belarusian Antarctic Expedition 2022-2023 is planned for mid-May 2023.