THE ANDROMEDA PROJECT - UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC EARTH OBSERVATION FACILITY THE HESPERIDAE ATLANTIDAE GARDENS

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THE ANDROMEDA PROJECT - UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC EARTH OBSERVATION FACILITY THE HESPERIDAE ATLANTIDAE GARDENS
THE ANDROMEDA PROJECT
UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC
EARTH OBSERVATION FACILITY
THE HESPERIDAE ATLANTIDAE GARDENS

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THE ANDROMEDA PROJECT - UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC EARTH OBSERVATION FACILITY THE HESPERIDAE ATLANTIDAE GARDENS
ANDROMEDA EARTH OBSERVATORY / © IPF 2020

Partners

                                           © INTERNATIONAL POLAR FOUNDATION 2020

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THE ANDROMEDA PROJECT - UNIVERSITY OF THE ANTARCTIC EARTH OBSERVATION FACILITY THE HESPERIDAE ATLANTIDAE GARDENS
Contents

03 Contents
04 Inception
06 The Legacy of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
08 The Legend of Andromeda
10 The Andromeda Project
12 The Andromeda Project - Preliminary Design Concepts
14 The University of the Antarctic
16 The Andromeda Earth Observatory
18 The Garden of the Hesperidae Atlantidae
20 The Timeline
23 Enabling Andromeda: Financing Utopia

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                                           “DO NOT GO WHERE THE PATH MAY LEAD BUT GO
InCEPTION                                  INSTEAD WHERE THERE IS NO PATH, AND LEAVE A TRAIL”

                                           Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                           In 1997-98, Alain Hubert, the Founding President of the International
                                           Polar Foundation, crossed Antarctica by ski, a daunting and seemingly
                                           impossible endeavour. In order to put the katabatic winds, which
                                           constantly flay the seventh continent to good use,
                                           he employed a special wing he had adapted from the NASA space
                                           capsule re-entry parachute. With the help of the wing and the wind,
                                           he completed four thousand kilometres in 100 days, crossing the most
                                           inhospitable regions of the Earth, in autonomy.

                                           During this Antarctic expedition, carrying out observations for
                                           researchers, he had discovered the important work being done in
                                           the heart of this frozen continent, and what it intimated for the future
                                           of humanity, and became possessed with the need to take on this new
                                           challenge. Along with Professors André Berger and Hugo Decleir,
                                           in 2002, he created the International Polar Foundation to address
                                           the growing necessity for an interface between science and society,
                                           to explain the societal significance of polar research and to provide
                                           support to science.

                                           This led to the building of the Zero Emissions Antarctic Research
                                           Station – Princess Elisabeth Antarctica - inaugurated in 2009.
Alain Hubert                               Princess Elisabeth became a part of The Quest seeking a new direction
Founder International Polar Foundation     for the new millennium.

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Alain feels that for a new generation of young engineers and               Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, enjoining on all those that
scientists who wanted to break through the spiral of endless               have the privilege to find themselves in this raw nature to protect it
questioning to get to the heart of what it means to be guardians           from the depredations of the human species.
of the Earth and not its despoilers, this is the clarion call to action.
                                                                           At the beginning of this 21st Century, climate change is an
The stresses on the environment are manifest everywhere.                   existential challenge affecting the entire planet. The Polar Regions,
A warming earth, extreme weather events, forest fires, polluted            and in particular the Antarctic are locations where the effects of
oceans, depleted fish stocks, and the short-sighted ravaging of            climate change and global warming on the environment are the
the Earth for the limited riches it contains. Humanity has shown           most tangible. Loss of ice mass here could destroy coastal cities
a remarkable lack of ability to coordinate its actions on the sole         within our lifetime.
planet available to humankind.
                                                                           In line with the actions taken to design and build a Zero Emissions
Amidst these multiple threats to our life support system or                Research Station to minimise environmental impacts, the IPF,
biosphere, it becomes ever more imperative that there must be              along with Dr Konrad Steffen, Director of the WSL* and Professor
some striving towards rational solutions. Alain feels strongly             at ETH-Z and EPLF - has taken the next step towards developing
that we must remain positive. “We have given our descendants               an optimal model for resource use and autonomy by launching
a tainted legacy, but we must not allow there to be a loss of hope.        The Andromeda Project.

The necessity to address the real issues of the use and the misuse         The Andromeda Station will be the Next Generation Antarctic
of limited resources is being forced upon humanity. While                  Station, where all energy will be provided by renewable sources,
many resolute individuals have taken up this challenge, and the            all water will be treated and re-used, to produce fresh food for the
transformation of society is already underway, a coordinated               inhabitants, reducing transport needs and fuel use.
approach and a remote site for testing new processes and
products would be a useful and timely initiative.                          This facility will allow for the hosting of natural scientists studying
                                                                           the climate and a range of other topics but also will work with
Antarctica remains pristine. Defended by the hostile conditions,           Universities and Research Institutes to provide a space where
the biting cold and the screaming winds, it has managed to remain          technical facilities become a life size laboratory of ideas, and a site
impervious to the human presence, which merely scratches its               for testing prototypes for energy, satellite communications, water
surface. The continent and ocean is also protected by the few              treatment, space prototypes, and space analogue facilities.
human guardians who attempt to apply the legal regime of the
                                                                           * Wald, Schnee Und Landschaft, Switzerland

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The Legacy of the Princess
Elisabeth Antarctica
In 2007-2009, the International Polar Foundation (IPF) and its         With the Station reaching full capacity, it became important to take
partners built the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the first Zero       the next steps towards improving environmental performance using
Emissions Research Station on the frozen continent.                    what had been learnt from PEA.

In creating the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the International       The PEA project has succeeded in delivering an inspiring message
Polar Foundation engaged firstly in an intellectual and technical      to the next generation of engineers and scientists eager for new
reflection on the means of reducing environmental impacts              challenges: namely that there is nothing to stop humankind from
to the maximum extent possible. This was followed by a minute          imagining and aiming for seemingly impossible goals.
examination of the environmental parameters prevailing at
the chosen site, establishing wind and solar potential as well         PEA was inaugurated in Antarctica on 15 February 2009. Since then
as modelling the impact on the snow accumulation at the site.          it has amply demonstrated that:

The external building shell was designed to retain heat within         •   Meeting climate change targets can be done in an elegant
the building and particularly the core. The inner core of Princess         and intelligent way;
Elisabeth (PEA) station contains the technical life support systems,   •   Building and operating a sophisticated and technologically
such as energy management and storage, water treatment and                 advanced station, without damaging the pristine nature
heating, ventilation, and the automation of all the services using         of the land is possible;
a logic controller, which acts as the brain of the station.
                                                                       •   Adopting a more respectful approach to managing the Earth’s
                                                                           limited resources does not mean having to accept a lower
Using an integrated systems management approach, the Station
                                                                           standard of living;
was able to meet the needs of all the inhabitants using renewable
energies, despite the ever-growing demand.                             •   Addressing the multiple challenges faced by humankind does
                                                                           not involve having to take a step backward technologically,
                                                                           in fact quite the contrary.

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The Legend of Andromeda

                                   ANDROMEDA
                                   EARTH OBSERVATORY

Lying in the interior of the Antarctic continent, 30 kilometres from the   Her father, Cepheus the King of Aethiop, had her bound to a rock
Perseus Airfield, and 30 kilometres from Princess Elisabeth Antarctica     next to the sea where she languished in despair until by happy
lies a strange elongated rock formation which rises not more than a        circumstance, the demi-god Perseus, came to her rescue astride
hundred metres above the snow line at its highest point. This ridge        the mythical flying horse, Pegasus.
was formed by tectonic activity, which thrust the African plate against
the Antarctic plate, some 500 million years ago.                           He raised out of his bag the head of the Gorgon, Medusa, which
                                                                           had the power to turn all who set eyes upon it to stone. Cetus was
Legend has it that Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda, boasted            thus petrified for eternity.
that she and her daughter were fairer than the Nereids. Zeus
punished her by demanding that Andromeda be sacrificed to the              The new station that will sit on Cetus, this rock of Aethiop, as the
sea monster, Cetus.                                                        Greeks called Africa, will be known as Andromeda.

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ANDROMEDA EARTH OBSERVATORY / © IPF 2020

 The ANDROMEDA Project
The Andromeda Project is inspired by the the idea                    This Station, on the edge of the vast sea of ice, will unite the activities
of a space colony needing total autonomy. The project                of science, technology and space in a facility which aims to be not only
seeks to create an international space analogue testing              an autonomous station in terms of energy and water, but will also seek
facility in Antarctica: using space as a design driver, a            to put in place an experimental facility for the growing of foodstuffs for
Silicon Valley on ice, bringing fresh energy to the pursuit          the scientists and engineers working there.
of a more rational approach to living in a finite World.
                                                                     The Andromeda Facility will consist of:
From the time that Prometheus stole the fire of the Gods to
illuminate the lives of humankind, the human race has sought         •   The University of the Antarctic with accommodation, equipped
to define its own destiny.                                               laboratories, zero emissions mobile units for field research, workshops,
                                                                         adapted workspaces, and projection rooms. University graduates will be
The experience gained from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (PEA)       able to earn credits at the Antarctic University, and engineering students
in harnessing the sun and wind, has inspired the idea of                 will be able to participate in running the station as well as carrying out
the Next Generation station which would improve on the methods           new research and testing.
of building and operating that would allow for further reducing      •   The Earth Observatory: consisting of monitoring instruments and an
environmental impacts, while assuring not only energy autonomy           autonomous Satellite Ground Station, with fully redundant ice cooled
but also autonomy in food supply and abundant clean water.               data centre
                                                                     •   The Hesperidae Gardens: comprising a vertical agriculture space and
The Andromeda station will be situated in the vicinity of the            a domed atmosphere and light controlled area for rest and recreation.
Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, and the Perseus blue ice Airfield.
                                                                     •   The wind and solar parks, hydrogen production & storage, energy
The three sites are in close proximity to the Sør Rondane
                                                                         management, water production and treatment, and life support systems
mountains of East Antarctica (from where both the high plateau
                                                                         management (water, air, light, heat, oxygen) via a fully integrated
and the Southern Ocean are easily accessible).
                                                                         command and control centre

The isolation and the extreme environment create the impression      •   Rock, ice interface garages and warehouses, using waste heat and natural
of being on another planet.                                              light for working on vehicles and prototypes, and preparing expeditions,

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The air operations at the Perseus Airfield
blue ice runway in East Antarctic will allow
for regular rotations of teams and scientists,
allowing the Station to engage high level
engineering assistance more easily. Operated
all year around, it will also ensure the possibility
of medical evacuations using small jets, not
requiring refuelling. if necessary.

15 years of continuous R&D on the prototype
of Princess Elisabeth station gave IPF the
valuable knowhow to move forward and
to take the next step towards the next level
of autonomy and energy efficiency.
The evolution of novel technologies will
allow the scientific and technical community
to operate Andromeda year-round under
conditions evoking future space colonies.

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Energy management                                                   Water, light, air and heat management
The prevalence of laminar winds is one of the criteria for the      It is intended to create a closed circuit loop for the water use
selection of the strategic location of Andromeda, allowing almost   at the station, so that the cycle begins at the snow melter,
continuous wind energy production. Recent evolution in hydrogen     generating clean drinkable water for use in the station,
technology will permit the use of hydrogen generated by wind        to primary treatment of waste water, to secondary filtration,
power.                                                              to purification and reuse in the sanitary and biosphere functions.
                                                                    (i.e. toilets, laundry and greenhouse).
Andromeda will therefore be able to assure the winter operations
using hydrogen generated during the summer months.                  Heat fluxes will be managed using responsive ventilation,
Managing the energy flows will be done by our next-gen smart-       to provide the ideal climates for growing different foodstuffs.
grid, enhanced with artificial intelligence. PEA demonstrated       Incident light will be filtered and stored to prevent dangerous
that the large number of sensors & energy inputs and outputs        ultra violet radiation from damaging young plants.
can successfully be controlled by automated machine learning
processes.                                                          Food production
                                                                    Developing highly efficient automated Antarctic bioreactors
The energy production will be ensured both by the photovoltaic      with partners working for the space industry provided the insights
envelope and by 2 wind turbines on a guyed mast of about 120        necessary to develop the closed loop water system required to
kW each. The guyed mast of the wind turbines makes it very light    optimise water purification & waste management.
both in superstructure and in foundation and, in addition,
the masts can be lowered to the ground for maintenance.             Andromeda will take this process one step further and re-use
                                                                    the nutrients from the bioreactors in a vertical farm hydroponics
                                                                    system, yielding year-round food production to reduce the
                                                                    dependency on the air bridge for delivering fresh produce.

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The Andromeda Project Preliminary
Design Concept
The Antarctic Treaty governs the activities on the continent. The Madrid Protocol to the Treaty,
governs environmental management. The construction of the Andromeda Project aims to reduce
the environmental impact in several ways, by including from the concept stage all actions aimed
at limiting to a strict minimum the energy consumption
needed for its construction, operation and maintenance.

The Infrastructure: Shell and spatial
arrangement
A first exploratory concept consists of the following
elements: the structure and the envelope, the interior
fitting and the special technical fit out. The design
drivers for the shape of the building derive from the
needs in spatial organisation as well as from energy and
environmental objectives. While the concept remains
to be developed further, initially it was proposed to use
a large and a small volume, connected by a central
nucleus for reception and vertical circulation.

The structure would be elevated at the edge of the cliff
in the axis of the prevailing winds in order to avoid snow
accumulation, using the Venturi effect.

The main building in this concept would have three levels.

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                            The lower level would include the technical spaces directly            The living spaces
                            related to all energy, and water management systems aswell
                            as maintenance and storage spaces connected to the garages.            Interior fittings will privilege the use of the
                            The intermediate level would consist of common areas                   most natural and sustainable of materials.
                            revolving around a central naturally lit atrium, containing vertical
                            greenhouses extending up the full height of the building.              The living spaces open onto a central forum
                            The upper level would include all rooms disposed around                lit by lanterns in a spherical cap made of
                            a gallery overlooking the space. The second volume would be            Fresnel lens so as to channel the solar rays
                            smaller and would include only two levels articulated around           which, in Antarctica, are low on the horizon
                            a second atrium, with the lower level containing the common            towards other uses such as space heating
                            areas and the upper level the rooms with their gallery overlooking     for the vertical greenhouses.
                            the space.
                                                                                                   Any artificial lighting will be ensured by
                            The structure being modular and independent, the partitioning          LEDs with a light spectrum corresponding
                            and the functions can be adapted during the evolution of the           to daylight which would be an important
                            needs of the development of future activities.                         factor for the viability of the station during
                                                                                                   the dark winter months, in particular for the
                            The energy efficiency of the structure would depend both on its        greenhouses that occupy the central atria
                            geometry and on the materials used to reduce the gray energy           where the hydroponic cultures would be
                            or hidden energy necessary for its construction. The three-            located.
                            dimensional geometry of the structure is designed to limit the
                            horizontal forces due to the wind and to take up the vertical loads
                            in the most efficient way. The aerodynamic stability is ensured by
                            the use of a standing seam roof composed of recycled aluminium
                            (minimising the grey energy content). The structure of the shell
                            would be entirely made of wood and would rest on a set of
                            V-shaped steel posts supported by anchors embedded
                            in geopolymer concrete.

                            The facades would be composed of super-insulating extra-clear
                            vacuum glazing alternated with photovoltaic panels in order to
                            optimize the capture of the sun’s rays mainly in the north and west.

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                                                                       Ice loss from Antarctica is dominated by the rapid thinning and
The University                                                         retreat of major glaciers draining the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

of the Antarctic                                                       Polar areas have a very low density of environmental observations,
                                                                       and new technologies are a key ingredient for progress in scientific
                                                                       data acquisition. Developments of self-sufficient infrastructure,
The science objectives for the Andromeda Earth                         measurement installations, satellite data acquisition capabilities
Observatory - the first university in Antarctica                       and engineering of automated measurement systems will be
                                                                       essential to monitor and understand the Antarctic response to global
                                                                       warming.
The Andromeda Earth Observatory and the first University in
Antarctica and is set to become the test bed for engineering           The next generation of Antarctic Research Station
applications, testing of new technologies, and a playground
                                                                       The development of infrastructure adapted to high latitudes is yet
for innovation under extreme environments for the education
                                                                       another key aspect crucial to a better scientific understanding,
of bright young engineers and environmental scientists.
                                                                       but also for the economic and social development and integration
                                                                       of the Polar Regions.
Development of autonomous monitoring designed and tested
                                                                       The Princess Elisabeth station provided a test bed to optimize
at the Andromeda Earth Observatory will set new standards for
                                                                       expertise in architecture, material sciences, water supply,
environmental monitoring which can not only be applied in remote
                                                                       management technologies and sustainable power generation
areas of Antarctica, but also in all the world’s extreme environment
                                                                       producing Best Practice Guidelines which will be applied to the
such as high mountains, deserts, and simple remote and un-
                                                                       design of the new Andromeda Station and Earth Observatory.
assessable regions.
                                                                       Indeed, the expertise of the science community in collaboration
The critical importance of Polar Science
                                                                       with industry is well prepared to advance the development of novel
The cryosphere refers to frozen components of the Earth system.        technologies (robotics, automated systems, drones, remote sensing
Around 10% of Earth’s land area is covered by glaciers or ice          systems, environmental analytics, swarm data etc.) for access to and
sheets. The projected responses of the cryosphere to past and          measurements in remote and extreme environments, and to structure
current human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and ongoing             and analyse large data streams from observatories.
global warming include climate feedbacks, changes over decades
to millennia that cannot be avoided. Ice sheets and glaciers
worldwide are losing mass. In the recent decade, the Antarctic Ice
Sheet lost mass at an accelerated rate, rising the global sea level.

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Technology development including field observations and novel lab
analytical techniques, as pioneered by several research laboratories
around the world, and could be the single most important input
to advancement of Polar science fields. Following prototyping and
testing in extreme environments, such technologies can have a
significant impact on innovation, academia-industry collaboration
and the potential launch of new start-ups.

International Research
There is an urgent need for society to educate the next generation
of engineers and researchers with focus on the sustainability in a
circular economy, and to make this an industrial collaboration that
transcends frontiers in the service of the human race, and not only
for economic gain.

The Andromeda Earth Observatory will allow the development of
such an academic curriculum in a remote and extreme environment
to engage students of different background and nationality in
interdisciplinary research and applications aimed at solving some of
the most urgent problems arising out of the extreme risks in climate
change, energy penury and water stress.

According to current estimates, unmitigated greenhouse emissions
are likely to lead to global temperature increases of 2.6°C to 4.8°C
by 2100. How Antarctica responds to such a change will affect the
rest of the World reducing habitable land.

The time to prepare is before catastrophic change, not when it is
upon us.

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The Andromeda
Earth Observatory
The democratization of the space industry has resulted in a massive       Datacentre
increase in data transmission and satellite services the current          Combining a smart grid with artificial intelligence allows the optimal
ground segment infrastructure controlling and repatriating this           cooling of TPU chips (Tensor Processing Unit) and AI processes.The
observation and telecommunication data and to ensuring satellite          typical AI chip requires a significant amount of power (compared to
Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) services, is hitting its           traditional chips) and therefore has significantly higher energy costs.
technical limits.                                                         Running a renewable energy datacentre in a natural cool climate
                                                                          optimises the use of the liquid cooled infrastructure. This would
Industry partners confirm that Andromeda Earth Observatory could          further reduce the costs of data storage, analysis and processing.
play a crucial role in the future expansion of the global satellite
ground station network due to following advantages:                       Human Resources
                                                                          Qualified personnel on a 365 days/year basis remains a challenge
Location                                                                  in every sector. The unique combination of university & satellite
The polar regions are the intersection points for a large number          ground station will guarantee a continuous flow of highly specialized
of satellites. This results in multiple repatriation and TT&C             engineers & operators.
opportunities per day. The strategic location on the Cetus ridge
equally provides 360° orbital tracking, making Andromeda                  Low-Noise radio-frequency Clean Laboratories
potentially one of the busiest satellite ground stations on Antarctica.   The absence of external radio frequency (RF) sources provides
                                                                          unique opportunities to test RF prototypes in “live lab” conditions,
Energy                                                                    making Andromeda an ideal place to test the latest RF technologies
Running highly specialized satellite ground stations still requires       (radar, phased arrays, …)
a significant amount of energy. Andromeda will be the only
redundant, energy autonomous satellite ground station on
Antarctica, running entirely on renewables, greatly reducing
operational costs over other sites.

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Providing satellite services within an academic and commercial
context offers unique possibilities and has attracted the attentions
of several international space agencies.

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The Gardens of
Hesperidae Atlantidae

The daylight simulation garden would be named after the Garden           The intention is for the new station to become increasingly
of the Hesperides, (or the nymphs guarding the golden apples that        self-sufficient in terms of fresh food, like salads, tomatoes,
were coveted by Hercules). Variously described as “morphing into         and certain vegetables and herbs, which survive poorly the
trees”, and “associated with the evening star and twilight”, they were   transport south.
nymphs, the daughters of Atlas.
                                                                         Using water and nutrients from the water treatment system it is
In the Andromeda project, a twilight garden in Antarctica perfectly      hoped to be able to create innovative vertical gardens which will
describes this important element of the concept.                         use LED lights in winter to continue to furnish the needs of the
                                                                         Station population.
Humanity needs a functioning ecosystem to survive.
As we become overwhelmed with mega cities and land for                   In addition, to this vertical agricultural facility, it will also foreseen
agriculture shrinks trucking foodstuffs over long distances makes        to have a garden with daylight simulation for growing fruit trees,
feeding a megalopolis increasingly complicated, and risky.               where excess heat and compost from the station activities can be
                                                                         used to create an area where it will be possible to relax in pleasant
For food security in major cities, there are increasing numbers of       conditions of warmth and well-being, read, play music and find
people turning to innovative means of producing food, and these          repose from the stressful aspects of being in an external
can be adapted to the Antarctic case.                                    environment which is eternally hostile.

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The timeline
2020 - 21   CEE preliminary submission to the Committee on Environmental Protection, ATS. Permitting
            Intermediate Concept design Technical Management Systems
            Advanced Concept design Building and manufacturing remote Hangar (used for construction)

2021 - 22   Manufacturing first building units
            Procurement machinery and vehicles.
            Set up logistic means
            Final Concept design Building and advanced Concept design Technical Management Systems
            Accreditation for the Antarctic University
            CEE submission to the Committee on Environmental Protection, ATS. Permitting

            Sea and land transport to site of equipment and infrastructure support (Hangar)
            Construction of infrastructure support on site for building phase

2022 - 23   Final Concept design Technical Management Systems
            Manufacturing second building units.
            Production technical systems and fittings (phase 1)
            Sea and land transport to site of pre-assembled first building units for the station
            Drilling for foundations
            Wind park to build and preparation for building phase

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2023 - 24   Production technical systems and fittings (phase 2)
            Sea and land transport of pre-assembled second building units,
            and technical systems first building
            Construction first building and wind turbines

2024 - 25   Production technical systems and fitting (phase 3)
            Sea and land transport technical systems second building
            Construction of second building
            Technical fit out installation first building
            Energy production, storage and management infrastructure to be installed
            Satellite Ground station installations and vertical agriculture Facility to be installed

2025 - 26   Acquiring of scientific equipment and mobile field units
            Sea and land transport equipment
            Technical fit out installation second building
            Commissioning hydroponics facility and testing of all technical systems
            Inauguration of station (February 2026)

            First University operational season
            Furnishing and equipping laboratories, etc.
            First students and scientists (3 rotations)
            Finishing connection between buildings and general installations of all systems
            Ongoing testing phase and installation of workshops for maintenance
            First overwintering and first winter flights to Intercontinental Perseus Airfield

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Enabling Andromeda:
Financing Utopia
To ensure lasting operations, Andromeda needs to develop a
                                                                                     −− Andromeda fuel free, CO2 Emissions-free energy
sustainable not-for-profit financing model.
                                                                                        production will minimise environmental impact
                                                                                        and very significantly reduce the energy costs of
Andromeda not-for-profit financing model is built on two main pillars:
                                                                                        the station building and operations.

•    A healthy balance between scientific and engineering activities
     and profit generating activities, in particular the satellite       The reduction of operating costs combined with scientific and
     ground station services, proposing a minimal cost contribution      profit generating activities will allow for self-financing of activities,
     to visiting scientists and engineers.                               with a slightly positive cash generation as soon as the development
                                                                         and construction phase have been completed.
•    While scientific and engineering activities will represent about
     65% of the hosting capacity made available by Andromeda, the
                                                                         Capital expenditure (CAPEX)
     contribution to the cost of these academic visitors is planned
                                                                         The Business Plan includes an initial financial contribution
     to only represent 20% of the Andromeda hosting revenues.
                                                                         by the International Polar Foundation of €2,3m. This grant will
•    An optimised cost structure thanks to:                              cover the costs of the 3 first years of the project, i.e. the completion
                                                                         of the detailed technology design of the station and its equipment
            −− Andromeda strategic location, close to the
                                                                         as well as the launch of the Andromeda awareness and fund-raising
               intercontinental Perseus Airfield, will allow the
                                                                         campaign.
               reduction of air transport costs that represent
               a very significant part of most Antarctic station
               costs. Air transport costs from South Africa to
               Perseus could represent a significant proportion
               of Andromeda annual costs (unless there is a way
               found to mutualise costs further).

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The total design, development, manufacturing, procurement        YEAR                                                2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

and construction CAPEX budget amounts to €74,1m (including       Profit & loss account (m€)                           -       -      -      -      -      -
                                                                   Commercial and visits revenues
10% for contingencies) and is broken down as follows:                 Satellite ground services                       --      --     --     --     --     --     0,1    0,8    1,0    1,1    1,4    1,8
                                                                      Flight revenues (outsourced)                     -       -      -      -      -      -     -      8,8 12,7 13,8 15,0 16,0

•   Project development (in partnership with industry): €5,2 m        Visit / hosting revenues (flight rev. excl.)    -       -      -      -      -      -      -      4,2    5,2    5,6    6,0    6,5
                                                                      Operating grants / subsidies                    --      --     --     --     --     --     -      -      -      -      -      -
•   Manufacturing: €37,7 mio                                       Total revenues                                      --      --     --     --     --     --    0,1 13,8 18,9 20,5 22,5 24,2

•   Equipment (machinery/vehicles/field/science): €4,0 mio         Directs costs                                        --      --     --     --     --     --   0,1    9,0 12,9 14,1 15,4 16,6
                                                                   Gross profit                                       --      --     --     --     --     --     0,1    4,8    6,0    6,4    7,1    7,7
•   Transport sea freight: €7,9 mio                                SG&A                                                --      --     --     --     --     --    -      5,0    5,3    5,5    5,8    6,1

•   Team construction/logistics: €5,3 mio                          EBITDA                                             --      --     -      -      -      -      0,1    -0,2   0,7    0,9    1,3    1,6
                                                                   Operating income                                     0,0    0,0   -0,1   -1,1   -1,7   -2,1   -2,3   -2,7   -1,8   -1,6   -1,2   -0,9
•   Team Systech: €2,9 mio                                         Income before tax                                    0,0    0,0    0,0   -1,1   -1,7   -2,1   -2,3   -2,7   -1,7   -1,5   -1,2   -0,8

•   Transport air – team: €3,1 mio                                 Net income                                           0,0    0,0    0,0   -1,1   -1,7   -2,1   -2,3   -2,7   -1,7   -1,5   -1,2   -0,8

•   Transport air – freight: €0,4 mio                            Cash flow statement (m€)
                                                                   Net cash from operating activities                 -       -      -      -      -      -      0,1    -0,2   0,7    0,9    1,3    1,6
•   Others / varia: € 0,8 mio                                      Net cash from investing activities                 -0,2    -0,4   -1,6 -42,0 -10,4 -13,6      -6,0   -      -      -      -      -
                                                                      Grants received from IPF                          0,4    1,1    0,8   -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -
                                                                      Grants received from other donors               -       -       0,9 42,0 10,4 13,6         6,0    -      -      -      -      -
A total of €72m will have to be raised, through several types      Cash flow from financing activities                  0,4    1,1    1,7 42,0 10,4 13,6         6,0    0,0    0,0    0,0    0,0    0,1
of contributions being currently considered:
                                                                 Balance sheet (m€)
                                                                 Assets
•   Private or corporate grants or donations,                      Long-term fixed assets                               0,2    0,6    2,1 43,0 51,7 63,1 66,7 64,2 61,8 59,3 56,8 54,3

•   Industry technological partnerships,                              Intangible assets                               -       -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -
                                                                   Current assets                                       0,2    0,9    1,0    1,0    1,0    1,0   1,1    0,9    1,6    2,5    3,9    5,5
•   Partnership with Universities and Institutes using the         Total assets                                         0,4    1,4    3,1 44,0 52,6 64,1 67,8 65,1 63,4 61,8 60,7 59,8
    Antarctic facilities to develop research programs, for       Liabilities

    hosting researchers and providing logistic support in          Shareholders’ equity
                                                                      Paid in capital                                 -       -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -
    the field,                                                        Paid in capitalised grants                        0,4    1,5    3,2 45,1 55,5 69,1 75,1 75,1 75,1 75,1 75,1 75,1
•   Public grants for developing infrastructure or subsidising        Retained earning                                  0,0    0,0   -0,1   -1,1   -2,9   -5,0   -7,3 -10,0 -11,7 -13,2 -14,4 -15,2

    public interest R&D activities,                                Long-term liabilities                              -       -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -
                                                                   Current liabilities                                -       -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -
•   Partnerships with international organisations.                 Total liabilities                                    0,4    1,4    3,1 44,0 52,6 64,1 67,8 65,1 63,4 61,8 60,7 59,8

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