Nearly 120 years ago, Adrien de Gerlache set sail for Antarctica aboard the Belgica. Since then, the South Pole has exerted an irresistible pull on Belgium. Belgian scientists remained active there until the late 1960s. After the closure (1961) of the King Baudouin Research Station, established in 1957, scientific interest in the South Pole remains strong.

In 1963, the Committee for the Management of Belgian-Dutch Antarctic Expeditions was established under the chairmanship of Gaston de Gerlache. On January 21, 1964, the first Belgian-Dutch expedition, led by Luc Cabes, arrived at the King Baudouin Base. Construction of a new base began immediately. Scientific observations, which had been suspended for three years, were also resumed. Researchers were studying the weather, the ionosphere, atmospheric electricity, and flora and fauna, among other things.