Mission accomplished for Inspire 22 - Antarctica's largest medical expedition

The Inspire 22 Antarctic expedition – made up of tri-service personnel and civilians – has completed its 900km journey to the South Pole in only 47 days.

The team, sponsored in part by Forces News' parent company BFBS, finished their journey on 9 January – 8 days sooner than their originally predicted 55-day mission.

Led by Major Natalie Taylor, the team began their expedition on 25 November to ski more than 900km with the aim of gathering important data on how the human body responded to the extreme conditions in the Antarctic.

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Supported by Team Forces, who provide funding for military sport and adventure, and in partnership with Coventry University, the brave team's goal was to investigate the effects of the expedition on physiological markers of stress, energy use, and performance in men and women.

The team had their vitals checked before and during the journey to monitor how the mission affected them physically and mentally. They will conduct further tests now that the mission has reached its end. 

In the frozen landscape, the team encountered temperatures as low as -40°Celsius, and 60mph winds.

The finish line of the South Pole took them to heights 2,835m above sea level.

INSPIRE 22 announced the team's success on social media, saying: "The INSPIRE 22 Team have made it to the South Pole.

"We are so incredibly proud of their achievement, smashing their expected time in just 47 days.

"Stay tuned for more details of their experience and the fascinating research that has come out of it."

Operating under Strategic Command, Inspire 22 is the largest-ever medical research expedition to Antarctica.

The British Army commended the team on social media and congratulated their success.

The service wrote: "Congratulations all, fantastic achievement."

BFBS Trustees are sponsoring the Inspire 22 expedition through the BFBS Welfare Fund which supports amenities, activities and projects that promote the efficiency of the Armed Forces. BFBS is the parent company of Forces News.