Concordia station is a permanent international research facility at high altitude on the Antarctic ice cap. The station was built by IPEV and PNRA S.C.r.l. The station has been permanently crewed since November 2004. The objective of Concordia station is to operate as an international research facility to conduct scientific programmes. The main fields of research at Concordia are glaciology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, Earth sciences, technology, human biology and medicine. The area in which Concordia station is located is considered to be one of the most hostile places on Earth.