Moscow: Three Russians last week set a world record for parachuting from Earth’s stratosphere to the North Pole, testing a new prototype communications system for use in the Arctic.
Mikhail Korniyenko, Aleksandr Linnik and Denis Efremov ejected from the Ilyushin-76 at an altitude of 10,500 meters (34,450 ft) and spent about two and a half minutes free before clearing space at an altitude of 1,000 meters. A great video shot.
Organizer Nikita Tsaplin said all three had frostbite on their cheeks, despite wearing heat masks. While diving at more than 300 km/h, air lands near Russia’s Barneo polar base, Tsaplin said, using diesel generators to power servers and establish satellite links. The equipment is lowered before the height is lower.
Communication in the Arctic could become even more important as countries like Russia, the United States and China compete for resources, trade routes and military superiority there.
Tsaplin said Russia can send data through an experimental network, but it doesn’t compare to the capabilities of Iridium Communication Inc., which currently provides coverage from the Earth’s poles.
Of course, our solution is a prototype, but we can still connect to satellites and transfer data from our servers.
“Of course, it’s not yet Iridium, but we’ve made some small steps in that direction, and that’s really the mission – to see how realistic it will be to build a low-cost solution for satellite access from computers.”
