From 1733 till 1742 he participated in the 2nd Kamchatka (Great Northern) expedition as a navigator. At first with the detachment under V.V.Pronchishchev, and then with the detachment under Kh.P.Laptev, he explored the coast of the Arctic ocean from the Lena estuary to the Yenisey river, and gave the description of the coast of Taimyr peninsula from its western part up to the promontory which was later named after him (Cheliuskin cape).
Also well-known in the history of the Russian Arctic area is the steamship "Cheliuskin", which was named after this explorer.