2026-2027 Science Planning Summary
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Alert
As of midnight, December 20, 2024, the U.S. government is experiencing a lapse in appropriations. Until the situation is resolved, please refer to OPM.gov website regarding the status for federal employees. We expect the U.S. Antarctic Program to remain operational under our contractor for the foreseeable future. Should the situation change, we will post additional information on this website when it is legally permissible to do so.
 
2026-2027 USAP Field Season
Station Schedules

The United States Antarctic Program operates three permanent research stations on the continent.

Opening Dates

  Austral Summer Openings Austral Winter Openings
Operational Science
McMurdo
(Early Season)		 21 Aug 2026 Continuing through Winter/WinFly
26 Aug 2026		 16 Mar 2027
McMurdo (Mainbody) 6 Oct 2026 6 Oct 2026
South Pole 23 Oct 2026 27 Oct 2026 15 Feb 2027
Palmer 20 Nov 2026 12 Nov 2026 18 April 2027

Estimated Population

Summer Winter
McMurdo 859
(weekly average)		 196
(winter total)
South Pole 154
(weekly average)		 52
(winter total)
Palmer 44
(weekly average)		 21
(winter total)

Project Detail

View descriptions for 2026-2027 USAP field season projects, sorted by event number.
Filter projects for the 2026-2027 season by scientific program. Additional information pertaining to the 2026-2027 Field Season.

Project Search

Search by project title, event number, or team member here.
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