AbstractIn 2021, Brazilian scientific research in Antarctica will reach its 40 anniversary, and in that period it has experienced good and bad times. How has Brazilian scientific research evolved since its first scientific mission to Antarctica? What were the conditions that enabled this research? How will Brazilian researchers work in the brand-new scientific station? Using an interdisciplinary approach, this article identifies tipping points and the national policy network that led to unstable funding policies. This article highlights four phases of Brazilian Antarctic science and states that there is a clear disconnect between the geopolitical and scientific priorities on one side and the political priorities, including the executive and the legislative powers, on the other.