This article offers a general vision of the Malaspina 2010 circumnavigation of the globe, an interdisciplinary research project directed by the Spanish National Research Council, whose main goals are to evaluate the impact of global change on the ocean and to explore its biodiversity. The project was undertaken on two oceanographic research vessels, the Hesperides, belonging to the Spanish Navy, and the Sarmiento de Gamboa, operated by the CSIC, from 15 December 2010 until 14 July 2011. Finally, the significance of the Malaspina 2010 project as an example for an expedition undertaken in modern times will be discussed in the context of the interest that such a scientific enterprise raises for global society.