In this file photo dated Oct 26, 2022, China's research icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, sets off for the country's 39th Antarctic expedition from Shanghai, China. (PHOTO / POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CHINA VIA XINHUA)

SHANGHAI - China's 40th Antarctic scientific expedition team set sail on Wednesday morning, starting a mission expected to last over five months.

This is the first time China's Antarctic scientific research mission will be carried out by three ships.

READ MORE: China's scientific expedition begins North Pole research

Research icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon and Snow Dragon 2, set off from Shanghai, while cargo vessel Tian Hui departed from Zhangjiagang in east China's Jiangsu province.