Three Russians have set a remarkable world record by parachuting from the Earth's stratosphere to the North Pole, doubling as a test for a new communications system.
As reported by Reuters, Mikhail Korniyenko, Alexander Lynnik, and Denis Yefremov leaped from an Ilyushin-76 aircraft at 10,500 meters (34,450 feet) and freefell for about two and a half minutes before deploying their chutes 1,000 meters above ground.
Nikita Tsaplin, the event's organizer and managing partner of RUVDS told Reuters that despite wearing heated masks, all three suffered frostbite due to temperatures nearing -50 Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) which felt even colder at speeds exceeding 300 km/h.
However, upon landing near Russia's Barneo polar base, the trio successfully powered up a server using diesel generators and established a satellite connection.
While, the equipment had been dropped earlier from a lower altitude.
As countries like Russia, the United States, and China vie for resources, trade routes, and military dominance in the Arctic, communication systems in the region are becoming increasingly vital.
Tsaplin said the Russians were able to send data via an experimental system, though he acknowledged at this point it had nothing like the capabilities of U.S.-based Iridium Communications Inc, which provides coverage from both the Earth's poles.
She said, "Of course, our solution is a prototype, but still we managed, from our server, to connect with our satellite and to transfer data."
Tsaplin further added, "Sure, it's not Iridium just yet, but we made some small steps in that direction and that was actually the task - to see how realistic it would be to build a low-cost solution in order to get access from a computer to a satellite."
