accidental

turn your rays into accidental weapons

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When we thought that the offshore energy It was the future of renewables, someone looked towards low Earth orbit and exclaimed “hold my tank.” One of the plans conquest of China’s renewables goes through placing farms that harvest solar energy around the Earth. The problem is that there is starting to be too much going on in low orbit and any failure in energy transmission can become a geopolitical headache. Because these solar farms can ‘attack’ the rest of the satellites with laser rays. Ideal. Peter Glaser already formulated the idea of ​​’farming’ solar energy in space and sending it to Earth in the sixties. In his idea, the energy would be sent through microwaves, but with the technology of the time and the structures necessary for sending information, the idea came to nothing. Now, with the possibility of reusing rockets, using lightweight materials and lasers with millimeter precision, things have changed. And it makes perfect sense. In space, and without the influence of the atmosphere, the solar panels They are capable of capturing the light spectrum differently. They are more efficient because the light arrives more directly, uninterrupted, and there is no need to clean dust or snow that interferes with the efficiency of the panel. Almost All advantages. In an article by Harvard Techology It exposes how China, Japan either USA are very interested in this technology. Although the main disadvantage is the very high initial cost and solving the energy loss that occurs in this wireless transmission, the advantages make it very attractive: Constant power supply. Reduced use of land space. Lower carbon footprint than on Earth. Improvement in the global distribution of energy to provide ‘clean’ electricity to areas that, due to terrestrial conditions, cannot install large plants. The plan. And, as we say, China has embarked on a space race tremendously ambitious. On the one hand, they are finalizing your own space station. On the other hand, they develop technologies to synchronize moon clocks and terrestrials that open the doors to more complex missions on our satellite. The Chinese space program is taking giant steps in a short timeand sending satellites that act as photovoltaic farms not only responds to that “first come, first served” plan, but also to the country’s interest in renewables. We see huge plants in their huge desertsand in space they would be even more efficient. He plan It involves having an operational orbital solar power plant for the next decade, before competitors such as Japan or the United States… and a Europe that is evaluating the potential of this technology. And China is not bluffing: they have been testing prototypes on the ground before launching a unit into low orbit at the end of this decade. laser beams. The adjacent problem, because there is an issue that has nothing to do with costs or energy transmission, is that we begin to have too many ‘things’ around the Earth. SpaceX just got the green light to deploy another 7,500 satellites starlink. It adds to all the satellites they already had in orbitthose of other competitorsthe geopositioning ones, all the scientific satellites, the junk that is spinning around and that is useless, but takes up space… and if there is any problem with the laser that transmits energy from those space solar farms, the consequences could be considerable. A investigation carried out by the Institute of Environmental Satellite Engineering in Beijing, and published in the Chinese scientific journal ‘High Power Laser and Particle Beams’ points to the risk that these farms represent for the rest of the satellites. If the laser beams that transfer the energy do not reach their target due to any error or unforeseen event, it could lead to an ‘attack’ on other satellites or even rockets taking off from Earth. Not so that they explode, but enough to overheat the solar panels of these systems, triggering an electric shock that forces the vehicle to stop and, therefore, the need to repair the affected system, with all that this implies. And the risk is greater when shorter wavelengths are used, which is when the laser ‘carries’ more energy. It’s something they’ve tested using laboratory models that recreate the characteristics of the orbital environment and firing ultrashort laser pulses at a test solar panel. Overbooking. With this study, the researchers they warn about the risks and warn those responsible for the systems that it is something that they should take into account in order to, for example, select laser power parameters that are safer or equip the solar panels of what is launched into space with a kind of shield. Obviously, when those space photovoltaic farms arrive, the engineers who perform the launch and trajectory calculations will have to take into account not only that there are more bodies floating, but also the laser segment towards Earth. And it’s a bigger problem when we see that low orbit is not only going to be more crowded in the short term, with all the competitors for offer global internet or the military satellitesbut also because big technology companies have an interest in put data centers in space. The operation would be very similar: collect solar energy, process the AI ​​data in orbit and transfer it by microwave to Earth. Image | H.T.R. In Xataka | We are launching more things into space than ever before. And the next problem is already on the table: how to pollute less

China conquered us with its cheap drones. Now the price of its pieces is shooting for a reason that is not accidental

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The Chinese market has been the most attractive option to buy drones for years, both for price and variety. From Ultraeconomic models of 30 euros even professional drones such as DJI MAVIC 4 PROfor more than 2,000 euros. The fan is really wide. Now, that successful formula begins to face a new context. Such as collect Financial Timesthe prices of the components from China are rising, in some cases duplicating. Let’s analyze the reasons and scope of this phenomenon. The scenario has changed. More and more suppliers operating in China are raising their prices for international clients. They do, according to the aforementioned British newspaper, in response to the reinforcement of the export controls that Beijing is applying on “sensitive components.” The aforementioned changes occur in a global context where the United States and China are immersed in a commercial war marked by ups and downs. Although in recent months Some offensives have softeneduncertainty still persists how the next steps will be. Key components in the spotlight. Among the elements most affected by these restrictions are Thermographic cameras. These cameras allow to detect temperature differences and generate images in low visibility conditions, such as night, fog or smoke. Image captured by a drone with thermographic chamber They are used both in civil applications (such as rescue work or industrial inspection), but also in military environments. This last use could be behind the increase in controls and increase in exports, since these cameras allow surveillance tasks in adverse conditions. A strategy that reminds the US. Although the hardening of controls from Beijing may seem a sudden response, it is not an isolated or new movement in the global context. USA It has been restricted for years China’s access to certain products for “national security.” Here we find The well -known case of Huawei. In 2019, Donald Trump’s administration imposed a prohibition that forced US companies to request licenses to offer some technology to the Asian manufacturer, a measure that would be maintained during Joe Biden’s mandate. Drones in front of war. One of the reasons behind Chinese controls is precisely the military use of these devices. Certainly, in recent years we have seen how consumer drones have become an essential part of the military arsenal in conflicts such as Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian attack with Hundreds of drone drones on Russian basesor the massive production of low -cost explosive drones, they have made it clear that there is no border between the civil and the military. Possibly this also explains why China wants to control who sells what. Europe and the US try to react. Both Europe and the United States are reacting to Chinese domain. In the American case, associations like Auvsi They have claimed Fiscal incentives and loans to facilitate the transition to local drones, especially in security forces and public services. There have also been more forceful movements, such as the decision of the United States Department of Defense to include DJI in its list of “Chinese military companies.” This classification led to the manufacturer To start a legal battle with the aim of revoking said label. In the European case, the answer is taking shape through initiatives such as the program Eurodronea joint development between France, Germany, Spain and Italy that seeks to reduce the dependence of non -European manufacturers. There are also other programs, such as European Defense Fund. And what does this affect us? For now, what seems clear is that access to pieces from China is no longer as easy or as cheap as before. Restrictions and controls are making key components more expensive, something that some buyers already notice throughout the planet. We will have to wait to see if this trend ends also affecting the price of the drones that we use on a day -to -day basis (those we buy online or in stores), but everything indicates that the market, as we knew it, is starting to change. Images | DJI | J. Weisner | ABODI VESAKARAN | Guillaume Issaly In Xataka | Huawei was the first great victim of the commercial war initiated by the US. Today is at the head of mobiles

A man has survived an accidental flight of 8,000 meters high. The video of the feat has cost him expensive: it occurred in China

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To get an idea, 8,000 meters high equals what is known as “Death” area In mountaineering, that point where the atmosphere is so thin that the human body cannot survive much time without supplementary oxygen. We talk about an altitude similar to CIMA DEL Mount Everest (8,848 meters), and higher than the usual flight of many small commercial aircraft (below commercials, of course, which usually operate between 10,000 to 12,000 meters). Well, a man has reached that altitude accidentally. Also He has survived And there is A video. An accidental feat. In architectural terms, those 8,000 meters high would be like stack Torres Burj Khalifathe highest skyscraper in the world with 828 meters, or place several times Mount Fuji one over another. At that point, temperatures fall to tens of degrees below zero, atmospheric pressure is reduced to less than a third of the sea level, and without specialized equipment, even breathing becomes a small miracle. And yet, what began as a simple equipment test ended in an odyssey at such a height for Peng Yujiang, a Chinese parapetist who, without pretending to really take off, was caught by a powerful ascending current in the Qilian mountain range. It started from about 3,000 meters of altitude and, in just twenty minutes, it was driven another 5,000 meters to the sky. With temperatures up to -35 ° Ccovered with ice and with frozen hands, Peng tried to maintain paragliding control and communicate by radio with his friend on land, Gu Zhimin. The man remained more than an hour In the air, he momentarily losing consciousness and landed 30 km beyond of your starting point. A feat, but not recognized. Although the Chinese authorities have recognized the survival of Peg As something exceptional“No one can be 8,000 meters without oxygen and remain alive,” They saidexpensive has come out: a hard sanction has fallen with six months of prohibition to fly for not having registered his flight, which placed him outside the legal framework. The video of the incident we see above, engraved by PEG and disseminated by GU in the social network Douyin, became viral, generating admiration between the public and criticism among the officials, who also punished Gu with Six months of disqualification for disseminating the material without permission. By the way, although some have suggested that Peng could have broken a world record, the authorities ruled out for the Lack of official registration of the flight. Parallelism with an identical accident. Peng’s story remembers that of the record established in 2007 by the German Ewa Wiśnierskawho was also absorbed by a thermal current while flying in Australia and reached no less than the 9,946 meters high. As Peng, Wiśnierska lost knowledge during his flight, although he survived and discovered the altitude reached by reviewing his instrumentation after landing. The difference is that this record was officially recognized, and that of Peng, however extremely it would be, will be relegated to the chronicle of what impossible But not certified. For the Annals, an involuntary, amazing feat … and punished, first in China for the dissemination of graphic material, and then not fitting on the bureaucratic margins of air sport. A true penalty for such a flight. Image | X In Xataka | The British army wanted to celebrate the day D unfolding its paratroopers in Normandy. French customs were waiting for them In Xataka | Jesús Calleja is already a history of Spanish space exploration: its launch is a success and has taken him to space

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