Month: November 2025

the Franco-Italian commitment to automated nuclear energy

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The growth of artificial intelligence has skyrocketed global electricity consumption and put governments before an urgent question: where will the energy come from to sustain it? In an unorthodox alliance, France and Italy believe they have part of the answer with automated nuclear microreactors. Slow down. At first it sounds very grandiose, but here we are going to unpack it. The French startup NAAREA has announced a strategic partnership with the Italian company Fluid Wire Robotics (FWR), specialized in robotics for extreme environments. The agreement seeks to integrate FWR’s robotic systems in the handling, maintenance and dismantling operations of the XAMR microreactors, that NAAREA has been developing since 2020. According to the official statementthe XAMR is a fourth-generation fast neutron and molten salt reactor, capable of producing 40 megawatts of electricity and 80 megawatts of thermal power. Its particularity is that it works by “burning long-term nuclear waste” from spent fuel from other plants, transforming a storage problem into an energy source. The answer lies in robotics. Fluid Wire has designed a system that allows robotic arms to operate without vulnerable electronic components within radioactive zones. The motors and sensors are located in a remote, armored unit, from where they transmit movement through a hydrostatic system. This prevents radiation from damaging the electronics and allows precise manipulation, with force feedback, even underwater or in temperatures up to 180°C. In addition, the system supports radiation levels of up to 1.5 MGy and can work both in remote mode (controlled by humans) and in automatic mode, with programmed sequences for production or maintenance. Thanks to this, NAAREA will automate key steps in fuel production, carry out robotic inspections and carry out assisted dismantling, reducing the exposure of human personnel to a minimum. One more step of automation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been promoting the use of drones and robots to improve safety at power plants for years. According to the organizationthese technologies already contribute to reducing risks and increasing efficiency, even in operating plants. The agency has highlighted the development of walking, flying and even aquatic robots that are already used for inspections, emergency response and post-incident evaluation. robotics, experts sayis ceasing to be a promise and becoming an everyday tool in nuclear energy. Japan: an extreme example. Last year, the Telesco robot went in to recover molten fuel from Fukushima reactor 2 for the first time. The operation, directed by TEPCOoffers unprecedented information on the degradation of materials after thirteen years of radiation and residual heat, and confirms the essential role of robotics in environments impossible for humans. Energy for a world hungry for chips. The NAAREA-FWR alliance is also part of an underlying energy crisis. The growth of artificial intelligence and data centers has skyrocketed global electricity consumption. As my colleague’s article warnedgenerative AI systems and training large models require amounts of energy that are already straining power grids in several countries. In this context, nuclear microreactors like those from NAAREA can offer a stable, clean and localized supply alternative, especially for industries with high energy demand – such as data centers or semiconductor production. In fact, in another reportwe detail how companies like Google and Microsoft are exploring agreements with nuclear energy companies to power their AI infrastructures. Atomic energy, previously associated only with giant and military reactors, is being rediscovered as a strategic engine for the new digital revolution. Robots at the service of the atom. For NAAREA, the collaboration with FWR represents a step towards a replicable and safe nuclear industrialization model. The robotic arms designed in Pisa and the microreactors assembled in France could become a symbol of a new era: miniature, autonomous plants, connected to industries or data centers, and maintained by robots that operate where no human could. In a world where artificial intelligence needs more energy than ever — and where humans seek to reduce risks and emissions — the atom is once again the protagonist, but this time with mechanical help. Image | FreePik Xataka | When we thought we had seen all kinds of rehearsals for an invasion, China makes science fiction: robots taking over an island

Researchers find a piece of ice from six million years ago. What is really valuable is the air trapped inside

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A team of scientists has achieved something extraordinary in the frozen Allan Hills, east of Antarctica: extracting 6-million-year-old ice samples, the oldest ever directly dated. Trapped inside are air bubbles that date back to Earth’s Miocene atmosphere, when our planet was much warmer and sea level considerably higher than today. A time capsule in the form of ice. The discovery, published in the journal PNAS on October 28 and led by Sarah Shackleton of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and John Higgins of Princeton University, more than doubles the age of the oldest known ice so far, which dated to about 2.7 million years ago. “Ice cores are like time machines that allow scientists to take a look at what our planet was like in the past,” explains Shackleton. “The Allan Hills cores help us travel much further back than we thought possible.” How they found it. Between 2019 and 2023, the Center for the Exploration of Older Ice (COLDEX) team drilled between 100 and 200 meters deep into the ice sheet in the Allan Hills region, located about 2,000 meters above sea level. Just like they count From the Middle Space, this area is especially valuable because the topography of the terrain and ice flow patterns allow extremely old ice to be preserved closer to the surface, unlike the Antarctic interior where it would be necessary to drill more than 2,000 meters to reach similar ages. Dating. The researchers They determined the age of the ice measuring the radioactive decay of argon isotopes present in trapped air bubbles. This method allows ice to be dated directly, without the need to examine the rocks or soil around it. The result: 6 million years, a time when the Earth was home to now extinct creatures such as saber-toothed tigers, arctic rhinos and the first mammoths. Cooling. Analysis of oxygen isotopes in the cores revealed that the Allan Hills region has cooled approximately 12 ºC during the last 6 million years. It is the first direct evidence that quantifies how much the Antarctic climate has cooled since that ancient warm period. Ed Brook, director of COLDEX and paleoclimatologist at Oregon State University, stands out that “the team has built a library of what we call ‘climate snapshots’ about six times older than any previously reported ice core data.” Why does it matter? While Antarctica and the Earth as a whole have progressively cooled for millennia, humans are now rapidly increasing global temperatures by release large amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Studying these bubbles of ancient air will allow scientists to reconstruct past greenhouse gas concentrations and ocean heat levels, which could give us clues to what natural factors have contributed to the climate. climate change throughout the entire history of our planet. Surviving extreme conditions. “We are still discovering the exact conditions that allow such ancient ice to survive so close to the surface,” points out Shackleton. “Along with the topography, it’s likely a mix of strong winds and intense cold. The wind blows fresh snow and the cold slows the ice almost to a stop. That makes Allan Hills one of the best places in the world to find shallow old ice, and one of the toughest to spend a season in the field,” he continued. Next steps. The COLDEX team plans to return to Allan Hills in the coming months to carry out more drilling. They hope to recover even older samples and produce a more detailed record of Earth’s ancient atmosphere. “Given the spectacularly old ice we have discovered in Allan Hills, we have also designed a new comprehensive long-term study of this region to try to extend the records even further in time, which we hope to carry out between 2026 and 2031,” concludes Brook. Images | COLDEX In Xataka | What are sixth generation fires: the megafires that create their own weather

A company claims to have created the first transparent computer monitor: it has borrowed technology from aviation

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The idea of ​​“seeing through” the screen is not new. For decades, HUDs have projected data onto the windshields of airplanes. and today many cars offer own versions to show speed or navigation without taking your eyes off the road. That principle, project or reflect information on a transparent elementis the one that Visual Instruments ensures have brought to the desktop with Phantom, a monitor that seeks to mix the digital and the physical and that adjusts its transparency in real time. Phantom does not use a panel that becomes transparent on its own, but rather an optical assembly similar to that of a teleprompter or HUD. The image is reflected in a tilted glass and thus appears to “float” over what is behind, with an opacity control that allows it to go from transparent to opaque. The company presents it as “the first transparent computer monitor.” The key to the invention is in the optics, not in a futuristic panel According to the manufacturer, Phantom is presented as a 24-inch monitor in 16:9 format with 4K resolution. The company sets the brightness in a range from 5 to 5,000 nits and places the color coverage at 100% sRGB, figures that must be confirmed when the product reaches the hands of users and analysts. As for the connection, it is limited to the most common options: USB-C with DisplayPort and HDMIwithout the need for additional software to operate. {“videoId”:”x87bool”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”How to CALIBRATE your MONITOR for VIDEO GAMES and enjoy it to the fullest”, “tag”:”monitor”, “duration”:”230″} It is worth putting it in context. Transparent screens have been appearing in consumer markets for years. LG has been marketing a 77-inch transparent OLED TV since 2024. Lenovo, for its part, has also developed a concept laptop with a transparent panel. The difference here is key: those products use transparent base panels, while Phantom uses, as we say, HUD-type optics. They are different technological routes, with different commitments and limitations. Aspects such as contrast, color representation with different ambient lights, the presence of reflectionsuniformity or comfort in prolonged use remain unknown. It is also unclear to what extent alternating between the monitor and the background can translate into real relief from eye strain beyond the idea put forward by the manufacturer. Everything will depend on the first independent tests and the measurements that are published when demonstration units exist. In Xataka There is a cheap TV sweeping Amazon: after a week of use it became clear in which situations it can make sense Phantom arrives, therefore, as a suggestive idea that has yet to demonstrate whether it can be sustained in everyday use. The commercial status points to a very early and selective launch. The Founders Edition is limited to ten units intended for early adopters, with shipping expected in Q4 2025, 30-day returns, and a one-year warranty. The price is not final: each unit is custom configured, but the company itself compares it to an Apple Studio Display whose price in Spain starts at 1,779 euros. Images | Visual Instruments | Telstar Logistics In Xataka | Xiaomi TV S Pro MiniLED 2026, analysis: the juggling act of wanting to offer the quality of a high-end and the price of a mid-range (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news A company claims to have created the first transparent computer monitor: it has borrowed technology from aviation was originally published in Xataka by Javier Marquez .

Insects have been traveling to space for decades. Now the ESA is studying putting them on the astronauts’ plates

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For years, many of us have thought of insects as something foreign to our table, but they have been part of space history for much longer than we imagine. Even before the first astronauts reached orbit, these small species they had already shown that could withstand the conditions of flight. Today, with long-duration missions on the horizon, the conversation has changed. Europe wonders if these animals, so nutritious and easy to maintain, could become a real option to feed those who live far from Earth. Why insects. Although they are still a culinary rarity in Spain, insects are part of the regular diet of billions of people. The FAO estimates more than 2,000 species consumed on different continents, valued for their contribution of protein, iron, zinc and beneficial fats. Their ability to develop with few resources and transform waste into useful biomass makes them an attractive candidate for controlled food systems. That is why several European teams are analyzing its nutritional potential and its viability in environments where every gram counts. What we know about microgravity. Research with insects in space has accumulated decades of datafrom early suborbital flights to tests at orbital stations. During this journey, different species have been tested, with very different results: some managed to complete essential phases of the life cycle in microgravity and others showed sensitivity to factors such as movement or radiation. This contrast has been useful to understand what biological mechanisms remain stable outside of Earth and what processes are altered even in very resistant organisms. What the ESA is looking for. The European team work with a specific idea: to know in detail how these organisms behave in key phases of their development when they spend prolonged time in orbit. The agency has brought together diverse profiles to study their ability to recycle nutrients and produce protein under controlled conditions, a line that already has candidate species such as the common cricket and the mealworm. This research aims to clarify what biological requirements should be met before considering its production in long-duration missions. Fruit fly habitat used for scientific research in space Although there is an extensive history of testing with insects, much of the results are scattered and come from short missions. The majority of experiments did not reach times that allow the complete life cycle of a species to be followed, an essential requirement to evaluate its use in long missions. Furthermore, many of these investigations are old and used different methodologies, making it difficult to compare them. That is why ESA is preparing new studies specifically aimed at measuring changes in reproduction, development and behavior in orbit. Drosophila model. NASA’s experience with Drosophila melanogaster has demonstrated its usefulness as a model organism to understand physiological changes in space. The agency highlights that it shares a good part of the genes related to human diseases and that its accelerated reproduction facilitates the analysis of several generations. He Fruit Fly Lab, installed on the International Space Station, it allows us to follow their behavior and freeze samples for study on the ground. It also incorporates a centrifuge that helps distinguish which effects depend on gravity and which are linked to space radiation. Astronaut James D. “Ox” Van Hoften examines a bee experiment From the laboratory to the menu. For now, the food use of insects in space missions continues to be a line of study and not an immediate application. Researchers need to check how they behave in prolonged phases and what it would mean to stably grow them in inhabited modules. Added to this is the challenge of transforming this biomass into safe, manageable and acceptable products from a nutritional and sensory point of view. Everything is moving in the direction of exploring options, not automatically incorporating them into the astronauts’ menu. Images | ESA | POT In Xataka | Astronauts’ food is not appetizing at first, especially in China

The Fujian is officially China’s largest power catapult. Beijing already has a button to challenge the US Navy

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It has been almost two years since China ended its long-awaited Fujian aircraft carrierits largest warship with cutting-edge technology for the nation. From then until now it has been going through different scenarios of tests and tests that will confirm reliability of what should be the spearhead for Beijing to compete in the same league as the United States. That day has already arrived. The naval power of the 21st century. China has made official the entry into service of Fujian, its first aircraft carrier with electromagnetic catapultsa milestone that marks a qualitative leap in the country’s naval ambition and in their direct rivalry with the United States. In a ceremony held in the port of Sanya, on the island of Hainan, President Xi Jinping performed the symbolic gesture of pressing the launch button from the ship’s control bubble, in an act that state propaganda presented as the beginning of a new era for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Projection and vulnerability. With 80,000 tons displacement, 300 meters in length and capacity to operate nearly 60 aircraft, the Fujian becomes the jewel of the Chinese fleet, the third in service after from Liaoning and the Shandong. Its distinctive feature is the electromagnetic catapultsan aircraft launch system similar to the American EMALS that only equips one other ship in the world: the USS Gerald R. Ford. China has thus jumped directly from aircraft carriers with a “ski jump” ramp to a generation of electromagnetic propulsion directed personally, according to Beijing, by Xi. This technical advance has clear strategic implications: improves the rate of departures, reduces wear and tear on aircraft and allows the operation of drones or lighter devices, opening the door to a more flexible and modern on-board aviation. Fujian The jump and the dimension. The Fujian represents more than just a technical improvement: it is the first completely designed and built in Chinafree of the Soviet legacy that conditioned the previous ones. The Liaoning was originally a ukrainian helmet unfinished work of the eighties and the Shandong su national derivativeboth with STOBAR systems short takeoff. With Fujian, China abandons that past and exhibits its technological maturity, especially in a context of industrial rivalry with the United States, whose own EMALS program has faced years of failures and cost overruns. In contrast to the Gerald R. Ford problemsXi’s speech and the staging of the ceremony convey a message of effectiveness and national pride: that of a power capable of manufacturing its own cutting-edge ships while the adversary hesitates. The choice of the port of Hainan was also not accidental. from there, China control access to the South Sea and projects its influence towards the western Pacific and the Taiwan Strait. On that board, the Fujian is not just a ship, but a political statement about Beijing’s ability to contest global maritime dominance. Fujian Target of the future. However, the relevance of these steel colossi coexists with a paradox. While the great powers continue to invest billions in building them, the conflict in Ukraine has shown that he size no longer guarantees invulnerability. With low-cost naval drones, Ukraine has managed to disable much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, inflicting a “functional defeat” without possessing a single aircraft carrier. The contrast is eloquent: asymmetric warfare reduces the effectiveness of the most expensive conventional weapons, but not their strategic value. In the case of China and the United States, aircraft carriers maintain their role as projection and deterrence instrumentsuseful for both combat operations and coercive diplomacy. Make fear. Washington continues to use them as pressure tool geopolitics: Donald Trump himself ordered the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford against Venezuela as a symbolic warning to the Nicolás Maduro regime. The scene, with an aircraft carrier escorted by four destroyers and armed with 70 aircraft, illustrates the extent to which these ships continue to be armed ambassadors of the superpowers, beyond their debatable military profitability. Global deterrence. Modern navies are aware that aircraft carriers are both a symbol like a target. During the Cold War, it was estimated that twelve conventional missiles to sink a super aircraft carrier. In 2005, the experimental sinking of the USS America required four weeks of sustained attacks, confirming its structural resilience, but also its exposure. In a scenario saturated with hypersonic missiles, swarms of drones and long-range anti-ship systems, its survival in real combat is increasingly uncertain. However, no other platform offers the combination of mobility, air capacity and logistical autonomy that an aircraft carrier provides. That is why China, despite investing in missiles to repel a US fleet off its coast, considers these ships essential for its own global ambitions. As pointed out analyst Nick Childsfrom the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Beijing understands them as an indispensable tool to project influence and support an eventual operation on Taiwan. Geopolitics of steel. we have been counting: the rise of Fujian is part of a broader strategy of naval expansion that has turned Chinese shipyards into the most productive on the planet. The country’s surface and submarine fleet is growing at a pace the United States can no longer match, and each new vessel reinforces the narrative of industrial self-sufficiency that Xi Jinping presents as an emblem. of the “national renaissance”. Facing eleven US aircraft carriers (ten nuclear and one conventionally powered), China has threebut with plans to build at least a nuclear one, the future Type 004which could directly rival the Fords of the US Navy. Unlike Russia, whose only aircraft carrier, the aging Admiral Kuznetsovhas been out of service for years and is headed for scrapping, China and the United States are today the only powers capable to sustain fleets with great oceanic projection. Europe, for its part, maintains a symbolic presence: the United Kingdom uses its aircraft carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales on diplomatic or training missions, while France prepares its new future-generation nuclear aircraft carrier. Century of the seas and fragility. If you like, Fujian also symbolizes the meeting point … Read more

Some say Mercury retrograde ruins their life, but the planet didn’t even move from its spot.

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Mercury retrograde season returns. From November 9 to 20, 2025, many people around the world – and especially on social networks– They will blame this curious planetary phenomenon for the argument they have had with their partner, the breakage of their refrigerator or the failure in an exam. But the question we must ask ourselves is if there is something behind this phenomenon that seems astronomical. What is ‘Mercury retrograde’. Despite its magical name, “Mercury retrograde” is described according to NASA as an optical effect: from Earth, Mercury (the planet closest to the Sun) appears to move backwards in its orbit for a few weeks. Astronomically, that “recoil” It is an illusion created by the difference in speed and position between Earth and Mercurybut nothing in the cosmos really changes, only our point of view. This is a phenomenon that occurs several times a year and has no physical effect on the Earth, our communications, travel or emotions. This is why astronomical science is clear: it is pure visual effect, not causality. Another interpretation. In the case of astrology the interpretation is very different. For this branch, Mercury is attributed powers over the communication, thought and movement. In this way, when it is ‘retrograde’, astrologers advise avoid signing contracts, taking trips or having difficult conversations. But this is something that has no scientific support behind it. A real meme. The interesting thing, according to experts in digital cultureis how Mercury retrograde has become a lifeline to cast our blame away. It is the perfect meme to explain everyday chaos: when WhatsApp crashes or the AI ​​responds strangely, the fault is not ours, but Mercury’s. In this way, everything stops being our fault, and for psychology it is something that we use as a strategy to attribute the disorder to external factors that reduce anxiety and connect us with the community. In countries like Spain, each Mercury retrograde cycle activates dozens of interactions on TikTok, Instagram and X, full of jokes, astrological advice and memes. This narrative allows us to find order (or at least, poetic meaning) in digital unpredictability. There is no relationship. Whether the computer or the refrigerator stops working or you have had a fight with your boyfriend or girlfriend has nothing to do with the position of Mercury. However, the myth and the joke will live on. Perhaps it is therapeutic to look to the sky for an answer when reality surpasses logic, even if we know that looking at the sky will not change whether our router breaks or not. Images | Wikipedia Afif Ramdhasuma In Xataka Basics | 19 apps and tools to see and have more information about stars and constellations

More and more countries want to prohibit minors from using social networks. Denmark makes a move

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Should minors have social networks? The debate is raging and more and more voices are advocating a total ban. Australia has a law on the table that will prevent minors under 16 years of age from using social networks and our french neighbors They have also shown their inclination to follow this path. Now it is Denmark that makes its move. what has happened. The Danish government has reached an agreement to ban social media for those under 15 years of age. In statements to the Associated PressDanish Prime Minister Caroline Stage has assured that 94% of Danish children under 13 and more than half of those under 10 have profiles on social networks. “The time they spend connected to the Internet, the amount of violence and self-harm to which they are exposed online, poses too great a risk for our children,” he stated. The measure contemplates that parents who wish may authorize their children to access social networks from the age of 13. Why is it important. Denmark becomes the first European country to agree to such a ban. The ban could take months to take effect because they want to tie everything together. According to Stage, “We must ensure that the regulations are adequate and that there are no loopholes that technology giants can exploit.” The European position. This summer several countries, including Spain, approached the European Commission to request a ban at the European level. The commission’s response was clear: The ban must be carried out by each country, there will be no common prohibition. However, the EU is developing the European Digital Identityan app to identify ourselves when carrying out procedures and that will also work as an age verifier. How will they do it. The plan is to use Denmark’s electronic ID system, although they have not given many details on how it will work. The Prime Minister talks about forcing technology companies to “carry out appropriate age verification, and if they do not do so we will be able to enforce the regulations through the European Commission and ensure that they are fined up to 6% of their global income.” Pajaport. In parallel to the debate about access to social networks there is also that of porn. Spain announced the Beta Digital Wallet, known as ‘pajaporte’ to limit access to porn by minors. At the moment it is not in force, but there are other countries that have similar initiatives that are already underway, such as France, where its implementation caused the closure of Pornhub in the country. The United Kingdom is another of the countries where you have to identify yourself to watch porn. The traffic of Pornhub plummeted 77%, so it seems that the measure had an effect. However, the huge growth of VPN tools It suggests that many users could be masking their location to bypass the ban. Doors to the field. Using a VPN is a way to bypass restrictions, and in the case of access to social networks by minors it could also be an option to bypass the restriction. There are still many doubts about how it will be executed on a technical level, but with easy access to the screens and the ability of some children to avoid limitationsdoes not seem like an easy task. Images | Pexels 1, 2 In Xataka | Neither TikTok nor Instagram until the age of 16: Spain will raise the minimum age to register on social networks in two years

Sateliot is the great Spanish hope to have its own voice in the new satellite space race

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There is a new space race and no one wants to miss it. Rivaling with Starlink seems like a utopia, but a Spanish company has managed to get ahead to the American giant on a specific point: 5G. While Elon Musk’s satellite company remains anchored in 4G, Sateliot boasts of being a pioneer in offering 5G connectivity from space, not only to IoT devices, but also to conventional mobile phones. This milestone has not gone unnoticed by the governments of Spain and Europe. Sateliot brings together all the ingredients to become an option for technological sovereignty in the satellite race. A race where Starlink dominates with more than 90% of global launches, but where any advance of its own is seen as a great victory. Now Sateliot inaugurates the Europe’s first 5G satellite development center. A pioneering center located in Barcelona that has more than 100 employees, two laboratories, a control room and a clean room of more than 100 square meters. From Xataka we have visited the center of the Catalan satellite company and learned about its ambitious plans. Triton, the new generation of satellites moves to full 5G Since 2018, Sateliot has launched six satellites, the last four in orbit since August 2024. They plan to launch five more next year. However, beyond getting ahead with 5Git will be with their second generation of satellites when they will begin to have a more competitive service. Triton, in homage to the Montseny amphibian, is the name chosen for its new satellites, about four meters long and 150 kilograms in weight. These new satellites represent a radical advance compared to those already sent by Sateliot, because in addition to having a capacity up to 16 times greater, they also change their concept. Tritón not only offers connectivity to IoT devices, but will offer 5G connectivity for data, voice and video to conventional 5G mobiles. Without the need to add any antenna or modifications to these phones and compatible with all operators (3GPP). The satellite, with a cost 10 times higher than the first generation, will allow Sateliot to offer a service that will range from critical security applications to civil protection and defense. The company explains that its satellite connection service will not focus on providing specific coverage to specific consumersbut serve for industrial, maritime, energy or location applications. Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot, together with the monitoring of its four satellites in orbit The first Triton satellite is scheduled to launch during the first quarter of 2027from Vandenberg (California), one of SpaceX’s two launch bases. The future goal is to be able to use European launchers, such as the Vega and Ariane of the European Space Agency. In this space race, the dates given are no coincidence. 2027 is the date on which it is also planned that Starlink begins upgrading its satellites to 5G. Barcelona bets on aerospace technology Jaume SanperaCEO of Sateliot, is proud that his satellites are “100% manufactured in Barcelona.” Now they have inaugurated the development center, but in the future they plan for the industrial phase to also have a factory in Barcelona. A phase that is still far away. “Next year we will exceed 200 employees. Being more than 80% engineers and having doubled the staff in the last year,” Sanpera explains to Xataka. “We have agreed to expand to the ground floor,” he points out in reference to the recently inaugurated offices. An inauguration that was also attended by multiple public authorities, including the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Salvador Illa. “You have to lose your shyness. Everything outside is better and seems to come from the US or China. Well no: Here we also do very powerful things that no one else has“Illa defended. Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, visits the clean room of the new 5G satellite development center | Satellite Sateliot is a startup that currently brings together much of what Europe is looking for: cutting-edge technology companies and local development. The new development center wants to become the base of a cluster of aerospace companies in Barcelona. And investors are taking note. Sanpera assures that at this time Sateliot is not looking for a new round, although defines it as a company “that requires a lot of capital”. Last March, the The Spanish government announced an investment of around 14 million euros in Sateliotfor a total of a round of about 70 million euros. In addition to the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), Global Portfolio Investments, Indra, Cellnex and SEPIDES have also invested and 30 million euros have been loaned from the European Investment Bank (EIB). For the moment, since his birth They have invested about 50 million euros in R&D. According to Sateliot, they already have signed contracts worth 285 million euros annually and offer coverage in 58 different countries. In total 734 different contracts to connect a total of 10 million devices that cannot have good coverage and where the satellite service opens a whole field of possibilities. The new development center in Barcelona employs 110 employees (80% engineers), with plans to exceed 200 in 2026. “We have 30 different patent applications“, they explain to us. During the explanation of how satellite monitoring works, the CEO of Sateliot hints that not all of its advances have been patented, in order to “not give clues to the competition”, pointing out that there is a high level of industrial espionage in the sector. “The difficulty is in the radio, in the antenna,” says Sanpera. Sateliot cannot compete against Starlink in quantity, but unlike the American company, they are betting on satellites whose connectivity is more modern and, above all, widely compatible. The Triton satellites have a 7 year shelf lifecompared to four or five years for the first generation. The main limiting factor is the radio and software. The company points out that this information is important, because “space debris is a problem for everyone and can prevent us from launching more … Read more

Vigo has shown that Christmas can be a million-dollar business. So northern Portugal has decided to take note

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Christmas is a time of peace, reunion, carols, sweets and a lot of other positive things, but also (and increasingly) of ‘pique’ between cities. As the holidays have gained appeal as an economic engine, especially for attract tourists In the middle of the low season, town councils throughout Spain have launched a race to show off the tree with the most meters, the largest display of LED lights or simply be the first to debut the ornament. Vigo is perhaps the greatest exponent of that fever, which in recent years has led him to cross challenges (more or less casual) with Madrid either Badalona. However, its true rival appears from another corner: on the other side of the Miño. Christmas in November? Christmas in November. It’s nothing new. In Vigo they began to install their lights already at the end of July, when they were missing almost 150 days for the start of the festivities. It may seem extravagant (maybe it is), but it certainly has its logic: the Galician city boasts to deploy millions and millions of LEDs along hundreds of streets (12 million in 460 neighborhoods this year), which requires a notable logistical effort. Also a substantial investment. Other cities like Madrid, Badalona, Malaga either Cadiz (to cite a few examples), determined to stand out on the map of national Christmas decorations. In fact, a quick review of the newspaper archive comes to find cross challenges between the mayors of Madrid, Badalona or Vigo on account of the festivities. The objective: to claim itself as the city with the brightest offer (literally). Why’s that? For various reasons ranging from pure economics to politics. After all, Christmas offers a showcase of brilliance barbaric for municipal administrations. If there is one reason that has become more evident over the years, however, it is tourism promotion. It is no longer just a matter of decorations encouraging purchases or more or less boosting commerce. No. Having many lights, large XXXL trees, Ferris wheels, markets… has become an effective hook to attract visitors in the middle of winter. Vigo once again leaves a good example. In December 2012, before the lighting boom, its hotels recorded just 33,600 overnight stays, far from the 100,000 in August. In 2022, already in the midst of the Christmas frenzy, this figure exceeded 101,500 overnight stays. And that’s not just visits, it’s also hard euros. In July the mayor of the town, Abel Caballero, spoke that Christmas attracts some 6.3 million visitors to Vigo and generates an economic return for the city of “more than 800 million euros”. May or may not be suspicious of those figures, but something is undeniable: the city fills every year between November and January and merchants and hoteliers already they have made it clear your support for Christmas. Which city is ahead? The battle between cities is not just about seeing which one achieves the most spectacular display of lights or raises the tallest tree. Another detail that generates expectation are the dates: Which city turns on its lights first? Which one comes forward, in an attempt to be the first to catch the eager Christmas visitors? It may sound strange again, but little by little this struggle has brought forward the festivities until placing its ‘start’ (at least unofficially) in the first half of November, almost immediately after Halloween. In Estepa, a town in the province of Seville, they debuted their lights last friday. Yes, November 7th. This urgency theoretically makes it the first municipality in Spain to activate the Christmas lighting. It won’t take long for other cities to follow in their wake. In Vigo (rain permitting) a ceremony will be held this Friday (November 15) to mark the beginning of the festivities. In other cities you will have to wait longer: Madrid either Barcelona They will press their ‘red button’ the 22ndin Badajoz it will be the 27th and in Malaga the traditional light and music show on Larios Street will also be at the end of the month, on Friday the 28th. What happens in Portugal? The most curious thing is that Vigo’s competition will probably not come from other Spanish cities, but from the other side of the Miño: from the north of Portugal. The neighboring country shares an extensive Christmas tradition and seems determined not to give up the tourist wealth that its Galician neighbor is fighting for. reveals it Vigo Lighthouse in an article in which he explains that near Raia there are towns that this year will surpass Vigo both in dates and in ‘meters’. In Valongo they opened their lights on Friday the 7th. And the next day Ermesinde, one of their parishesalso activated a Christmas tree 55 meters high, the largest in Portugal. With that data it even surpasses that of Vigo, which reaches 45 m. Another early riser town in northern Portugal is Viana do Castelowhich has a light show on one of its main avenues. Viana do Castelo and Valongo share an interesting characteristic, in addition to their Christmas zeal: they are close to Vigo. From Ermesinde it takes about an hour and a half by car. Something less if visitors travel from Viana. Simple coincidence? The commitment of northern Portugal is better understood if one knows a fundamental fact: a large part of the tourists that Vigo receives during Christmas come precisely from Portugal. In fact, in December it is not unusual to find buses in the center loaded with visitors from the neighboring country. So much so that Vigo presume of being the main Christmas destination for the Portuguese, which in turn acts as the main foreign market of the campaign. Although the Galician city has advertised your Christmas United Kingdom, Italy or France, the proximity makes Portugal its great fishing ground for visitors. “Portugal discovered Christmas in Vigo. The city was Portugal’s favorite destination at Christmas. More than Madrid and Barcelona. In 2019 we were eighth, now the first. It is a very important qualitative leap,” … Read more

Switzerland shows how to take advantage of it in the middle of winter

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In the Swiss Alps, where the silence of winter often means months of ice and gray skies, a group of engineers is looking at how snowflakes can be transformed into energy. What was once an obstacle—the accumulation of snow on the solar panels—now becomes an opportunity. Their goal is as simple as it is ambitious: discover how winter can produce solar electricity. A solar laboratory. In these cold, bright valleys, the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research have developed a computational model to study how snow patterns affect the performance of photovoltaic systems in alpine environments. This is the first detailed model that simulates the interaction between snow and vertical solar structures in high mountains. The study, published in the magazine Cold Regions Science and Technologyfocuses on Helioplant, a vertical solar structure patented by Austrian company Ehoch2. Its design – a kind of cross with four solar wings – allows snow to be removed passively, without covering the panels and maintaining its efficiency in extreme conditions. Snow as part of the solution. The question is inevitable: how? The Lausanne team has discovered that snow not only blocks light: it also returns it. Its white surface acts as a natural mirror that reflects the Sun’s rays towards the panels, a phenomenon known as albedo effect. The challenge is finding the right spot. If snow accumulates too much, it blocks light and can damage structures. That is why researchers are seeking to redesign the way the panels are installed, to take advantage of the reflection without being buried under the ice. Seeking to understand snow. To understand it, scientists did not limit themselves to observing it: they decided to model it based on what we were already discussing. To do this, they used Snowbedfoam, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool based on OpenFOAM, capable of simulating the transport and deposition of snow around solar structures. According to the studyis an Eulerian-Lagrangian solver that allows us to accurately represent how flakes move and accumulate in real environments. In hundreds of simulations, the team adjusted parameters such as the angle of inclination, the height of the panel above the ground, the spacing between units or its alignment with the wind. The results were revealing: the most efficient panels rise at least 0.6 meters above the ground, enough to prevent accumulated snow from blocking the release of new flakes. Hence the orientation as well. Panels aligned with the prevailing air currents stay clean as they carry away snow and prevent it from accumulating. But if they are rotated about 45°, protected areas are created where the flakes remain. As some French scientists have already confirmedair currents can be as useful a resource as sunlight itself. When the cold inspires energy. In other places they are also learning to listen to winter. In Norway, solar panels They rise vertically to look straight at the snow. In the Arctic city of Tromsø, 1,600 units cover more than 2,600 square meters, capturing both direct sunlight and that bouncing off the white ground. On the other side of the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Michigan test transparent coatings that prevent snow from adhering to the panels, even at –35 °C. Different solutions for the same learning: that the snow is not an obstacle, but part of the system. When winter also shines. Solar energy, a symbol of summer and the desert, is reinvented among glaciers and snow-capped peaks. What previously shut down production now multiplies it. What once blocked light now reflects it. The objective of these tests is not only to generate electricity, but to “create more efficient and snow-resistant photovoltaic systems.” In the words of the Lausanne researchersthe future of solar energy could lie in learning from snow, not fearing it. In the Alps, each flake is no longer an obstacle: it is a potential particle of energy. And in that silent gesture of snow reflecting light, Switzerland is testing the future of solar energy. Image | Pexels Xataka | Spanish scientists have created a material that swallows 99.5% of light. And it is great news for renewables

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