A Spanish-led expedition will attempt to cross 3,400 kilometres of Antarctica using a kite-powered sled, carrying scientific equipment without fossil-fuel transport. Led by polar explorer Ramón Larramendi, the Wind Sled Antarctica 2026–2027 mission will combine low-impact exploration with research into ice, climate change, pollution, microbial life and human isolation.
The expedition is scheduled to leave Spain on 18 October 2026 and return in early February. Its planned journey across the Antarctic interior is expected to last about 80 days, with the four-person team operating far from permanent stations and conventional logistical support.
How the Wind Sled will cross Antarctica
The Wind Sled is a 15-metre-long platform made up of four modules. Instead of relying on tracked vehicles, snowmobiles or aircraft for routine movement, it uses large kites to harness Antarctic winds. Solar power will operate the scientific equipment carried by the team.
The expedition will take 20 kites, ranging from five to 150 square metres in surface area. In suitable conditions, the sled can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, although its average cruising speed is expected to be about 25 kilometres per hour.
The design has developed over roughly 25 years and draws partly on Inuit approaches to polar travel. Larramendi has travelled more than 28,000 kilometres over ice during previous expeditions while testing and refining the system.
- The sled can carry up to 2,100 kilograms of cargo.
- This expedition will initially transport about 250 kilograms of scientific instruments.
- The route will begin near Russia’s Novolazarevskaya station in Queen Maud Land.
- The team plans to cross the Pole of Inaccessibility and pass near the Pole of Cold.
- The journey will finish at the French-Italian Concordia research station on Dome C.
Removing fuel from the vehicle’s main transport system is intended to reduce both emissions and the expedition’s logistical footprint. The source material compares the concept with a 2011–2012 trans-Antarctic scientific expedition that used conventional vehicles and consumed around 170,000 litres of fuel over two months.
Sixteen research projects will study an almost unmeasured region
The Wind Sled expedition will support 16 research projects selected through a call coordinated by the Spanish Polar Committee. Researchers from the Spanish National Research Council, CIEMAT, INTA, six Spanish universities and international organisations will take part.
The work is designed to provide direct measurements in parts of Antarctica where scientific observations are limited. The results will complement satellite data and measurements collected at permanent research stations.
Ice, snow and climate research
One project, known as Dinglac, will use ground-penetrating radar to examine the first 10 metres of snow. Led by glaciologist Francisco Navarro of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the study will investigate how snow layers accumulate and move. Such measurements can help researchers improve their understanding of Antarctic ice-mass changes in the context of climate change.
Other instruments will examine Earth’s magnetism and test the performance of Europe’s Galileo satellite-navigation system in an extremely remote environment. The expedition will also collect information about microplastics, persistent pollutants, microorganisms and viruses.
Could Antarctic rocks support microbial life?
A project involving NASA’s Ames Research Center will investigate whether conditions suitable for microbial life can develop inside salt rocks exposed to the continent’s extreme cold and dryness. Sensors will measure temperature, relative humidity and electrical conductivity.
The aim is to assess whether liquid water could have existed inside the rocks despite the severe environmental conditions. The research also has implications for planetary exploration because similar instruments and methods may help scientists study the possibility of life in harsh extraterrestrial environments.
The crew will also be part of the experiment
The expedition team will consist of four experienced members: Larramendi, polar guide Hilo Moreno, University of Maine researcher Mariusz Potocki and photographer and documentary-maker Javier Selva.
The crew will spend weeks in isolation while working in a dangerous and highly remote setting. A project led by Gabriel G. de la Torre of the University of Cádiz will study the effects of confinement on sleep, psychological responses and social interaction.
This research is intended to support preparation for future long-duration space missions. Antarctica offers researchers an environment in which isolation, limited communication, environmental danger and distance from outside assistance can be studied without leaving Earth.
The team will carry supplies and equipment for the expedition and will operate with an emergency evacuation plan. Five scientific stations will be established along the route, allowing the crew to stop for longer periods to collect samples, conduct experiments and record measurements.
What happens after the crossing?
Once the team reaches Concordia, the four explorers are expected to leave Antarctica by air. The scientific equipment will return to Spain with French support, while the dismantled sled will remain at the station for a possible future expedition in the opposite direction.
Repeat journeys are central to the project’s long-term purpose. Collecting comparable measurements on multiple campaigns would allow researchers to identify changes in snow, ice and climate conditions over time rather than relying on a single snapshot.
The mission forms part of Spain’s 40th Antarctic Research Campaign. Its broader objective is to demonstrate whether low-impact transport can support scientific work in the continent’s interior, where conventional expeditions are costly, fuel-intensive and difficult to organise.
Why the expedition matters
The Wind Sled is not an EU regulation or European Union policy measure; it is a Spanish-led scientific and technological expedition with wider relevance for polar research and sustainable exploration. Its value will depend on both the journey’s completion and the quality of the data collected.
If the platform performs as planned, it could offer researchers a reusable way to reach remote areas without depending on combustion-powered transport for movement across the ice. The expedition may also provide useful evidence for renewable-energy systems designed for extreme environments and future space missions.
The central test is therefore practical as well as scientific: whether wind and solar technology can reliably move people, supplies and instruments across one of the planet’s most demanding landscapes. The Wind Sled Antarctica 2026–2027 project will provide its most substantial test yet.
Conclusion
The Spanish Wind Sled expedition is combining Antarctic science, renewable-powered transport and human-factors research in a single 3,400-kilometre mission. Its success could strengthen the case for lower-impact polar exploration while producing measurements from an area with few existing observations. For now, the project’s most important contribution will be putting the technology, crew and research programme to the test in real Antarctic conditions.
