decisive

Artemis II enters decisive territory

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There are times when a space program stops being a promise and becomes a tangible countdown. Artemis II just reached that point. The mission enters the realm of controlled preparation of decisions that are no longer easily or costlessly reversed. It is not yet the launch, nor even a set date, but it is the step that requires demonstrating that everything designed, integrated and tested over the years can work. The concrete advance arrived at the weekend with a movement as slow as it is symbolic. The Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft completed its transfer from the Vehicle Assembly Building to ramp 39B of the Kennedy Space Center, a journey of about 6.5 km that took twelve hours. The operation concluded with the placement of the assembly on the pedestals of the launch platform, a step that enables the start of activities. The test that puts Artemis II against reality The next step is the Wet Dress Rehearsalthe test that conditions everything that comes after. In this test, NASA explains that the teams must demonstrate the ability to load a large amount of cryogenic propellants, carry out a launch countdown test and practice the safe removal of rocket fuel without astronauts on board. The countdown will stop shortly before the simulated takeoff. While preparations are being finalized, work on the ramp is progressing on several fronts simultaneously. NASA details that the teams have connected purge lines to maintain rocket and spacecraft cavities in adequate conditions, have enabled communications with the Launch Control Center and have carried out movement tests of the crew access arm. The emergency evacuation system has also been connected, with basket release practices, and Orion and various elements of the SLS have been turned on to verify their response in the launch environment. With those tasks underway, the focus shifts to the realistic mission schedule. NASA notes that the launch window opens as early as Friday, February 6, but stresses that the program direction will evaluate the preparation after the Wet Dress Rehearsal before selecting a day. In parallel, the choice also depends on external conditions: the position of the Moon for the planned trajectory and the security requirements that force Orion to re-enter within very specific margins to protect the heat shield. The caution surrounding this phase is not gratuitous. Artemis II is the program’s first manned mission and comes after a long development, marked by technical reviews and schedule slippages. During the campaign of Artemis I, The loading of cryogenic propellants was marked by problems maintaining adequate temperatures and hydrogen leaks in several attempts. Corrections and procedures learned then have now been incorporated, but this section serves precisely to verify that these solutions work consistently in a vehicle intended to carry people on board. Unlike the next mission in the program, Artemis II is a verification flight, not direct exploration. The planned profile includes several elliptical orbits around the Earth, a push towards the moon and a flyby without landing on the moon, lasting approximately ten days. This scheme will confirm that Orion can sustain a crew in deep space, validate systems such as life support and check communications and navigation for that environment, with the support of the Deep Space Network, before preparing the jump to Artemis III. With all this work already concentrated on the ramp, Artemis II now has more than just an administrative advance at stake. The loading test and subsequent review will determine whether the system is truly ready to take on a manned flight beyond Earth’s orbit. If problems arise, NASA is considering the option of returning the rocket to the assembly building for additional work, a reminder that there is still room for maneuver even if it impacts the schedule. Images | NASA (1, 2, 3, 4) In Xataka | Faced with the need to look for weapons against superbacteria, science has opted to send viruses into space

A new turn to end the war in Ukraine has left the final outcome in the hands of a decisive point: 900 km

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The latest diplomatic movement between the United States and Ukraine has crystallized into a peace draft reduced to 19 points which, according to both delegations, constitutes real progress with respect to the controversial document initial 28 points. That first draft, written largely with Russian participationcrossed multiple Ukrainian red lines and set off alarms throughout Europe. As things stand, the final decision is a little more 900 km. The new twist. In Geneva, after hours of tense negotiations that were on the verge of collapse, the team led by Andriy Yermak managed soften or reformulate most of the most problematic aspects. The new text, described as a “solid” body of convergence, integrates security guarantees, economic commitments and infrastructure protection in a framework that is no longer perceived like an ultimatumalthough it is far from resolving the most explosive core: the territorial question. That point (the possibility of giving up portions of the east) was explicitly “placed in brackets” for Presidents Trump and Zelensky to decide, a gesture that recognizes both the political gravity of the issue and the legal impossibility of resolving it without a national referendum in Ukraine. The revision of the draft also eliminates elements such as the limitation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 600,000 troops or a total amnesty for war crimes, but deliberately preserves the biggest obstacle. Thus, although the White House describes the process as “optimistic,” the heart of the agreement is suspended in an uncomfortable balance: moving forward without defining the most decisive point. The air battle. In parallel to the negotiations, a strategic reflection runs through the debate: no agreement will survive if Ukraine lacks of air guarantees real. Moscow has shown that your fastest and most effective way to break a ceasefire is violate airspace with missiles, drones, bombers or fighters. Ukrainian cities have been subjected to long-range attacks and coercion from the sky for three years, and the country has only avoided total collapse thanks to a makeshift patchwork of Western anti-aircraft defenses. They remembered the analysts at Forbes that any sustainable peace requires three pillars: an integrated defense network that connects radars, Patriot batteries, NASAMS, IRIS-T and aviation in a common operational framework, a modernized, numerous Ukrainian air force capable of maintaining continuous patrols with F-16, Rafale or Gripen equipped with AESA radars, long-range missiles and advanced electronic warfare, and a visible presence of allies operating from or within Ukraine, similar to the Baltic Air Policingto deter violations and react unambiguously to any incursion. Clarity. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the rules of engagement should be explicit: immediate interception of unauthorized aircraft, shooting down any vector that poses a threat and automatic retaliation against launch points if Moscow fires missiles after an agreement. Without this aerial architecture, a peace signed on paper would become a fragile parenthesis, exposed to a Russia that historically explores every void and tests every border. The stability of the future agreement depends both on the diplomatic text and the firepower that supports its lines. The point that no one wants to write. What happened in Geneva shows that diplomacy is advancing, but also that it is doing so with a limp. counted the financial times that the meeting began almost broken: the Americans, upset by previous leaks, arrived tense, and the Ukrainians, distrustful of the pro-Russian bias of the original draft. It took a long conversation. almost therapeuticbetween Yermak and the American delegation to reduce tension. Afterwards, both sides revised the draft point by point, eliminated the troop cap, rewrote the amnesty and adjusted key definitions. The Europeans (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the EU) joined later to coordinate priorities and synchronize postures. Subsequent statements reflect a “constructive atmosphere,” with Washington under self-inflicted pressure to present the document to Russia as soon as possible. Be that as it may, no technical correction can resolve the essential absence: the impossibility of deciding in that room about the territory. According to the Ukrainian negotiators, they did not have a mandate to give up a single kilometer, and the Constitution requires consultation to the population. Kyslytsya himself admitted that what is pending requires “leadership decisions,” a diplomatic euphemism to admit that what is unacceptable for Ukraine has been postponed, not eliminated. The 900 km as a judge. The peace draft can have changedbut the reality on the front changes even faster. As diplomats wrote, erased and rewrote sentences in Geneva, Russia intensified its offensive in multiple sectors: advances north of Huliaipole, increasing pressure towards Siversk and a siege that could be sealed in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. The front line, about 900 kilometershas become the silent arbiter of the negotiation: the more Ukraine retreats, the more strength Russia believes it has to demand concessions, and the more it resists, the more room Kyiv has to reject any territorial concession. The American and Russian proposal filtered It started from that premise: asking Ukraine to hand over areas that it still controls before it loses them. Zelensky, however, has reiterated that Ukraine will “defend its home” and that accepting territorial amputations would undermine not only its political legitimacy, but the very possibility of lasting peace. Time trial. The problem is that time on the front is against Kyiv. Russian advances, although extremely costly in men and material, are creating pockets of vulnerability and forcing to retreat reserves to cover cracks. And what is at stake in those 900 kilometers It’s not just terrain: is Ukraine’s ability to come to the table with a negotiating position that does not amount to staged surrender. Every kilometer lost on the map alters the draft in Geneva more than any paragraph. Between paper and the battlefield. What emerges from these three fronts (diplomacy, the sky and the line of contact) is a more or less clear picture: the peace agreement is closer in form, but not in depth. He 19 point text It represents an indisputable technical advance, but it depends on enormously costly presidential decisions. Air guarantees are the indispensable condition … Read more

The decisive moments of our economic life

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The Swedish background EQT paid a few days ago 2,000 million euros for Adevintacompany specialized in classified advertisement portals. In the background you can see a pattern in the purchases that EQT has made on Spanish soil. He has bought something that Silicon Valley could never create: the exact moment in which the Spaniards change his life. Why is it important. ADEVINTA Spain (Fotocasa, Milanuncios, Infojobs, Cars.net) It is not a company that competes against large technological ones. Rather it complements them. When we look for a floor, work or sell the car, we are not going to Amazon, neither to Instagram or Google. We go to Spanish portals that have been dominating those important moments of our economic life for decades. In figures. Among the six portals … They receive 146 million visits per month. And add 18 million unique users. They generate 225 million euros a year. With just over 1,600 employees. Its valuation, of 2,000 million euros, places them above many startups that presume to be disruptive. The context. EQT knows the business and land well. Controls 18% idealist after sell it to Cinven for 2.9 billion in 2024. It also has the European University and Freepik As a majority shareholder. Its strategy is clear: buy the decisive moments of Spanish digital life. Between the lines. This operation values national technological success. The Spanish portals have resisted the arrival of giants, mostly Americans, because they understood that it is not enough to have the best technology if you do not understand the cultural factor. In this case, the way in which Spaniards look for work, house, car, motorcycle. The threat. For years there was fear that Google, Amazon or Facebook swept this Spanish ecosystem. It did not happen. The Marketplaces premises built something more valuable than algorithms: trust, cultural proximity. When we want to sell something, we have turned to Milanuncios Oa Wallapop (outside this equation, but also Spanish). Vinted is also dominating second -hand fashion, but “only” that niche. Facebook Marketplace never went too far in our country. Yes, but. Consolidation always has its risks. EQT adds Adevinta to his participation in idealist. That is, it concentrates power in the portals that the Spaniards use the most. Less competition that usually derives to upward prices for publishing ads. The money trail. Blackstone and Permira bought Adevinta For 14,000 million in 2024. They now sell Spain for 2,000 million, staying with Germany, France, Holland and Italy. It is the classic strategy: chop and sell in parts to maximize value. A typical movement of investment funds. EQT promises to boost innovation and AI in the portals, but its true business is another: better monetize the moments in which the Spaniards need to change their lives. And those moments, by definition, cannot be shaken from the outside. In Xataka | Buy second -hand car: what to look and take into account before buying Outstanding image |

The most risky and decisive in the vertiginous history of the rocket

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All ready for the ninth Starship test flight, the most important mission so far after the final explosives of the previous releases. With Elon Musk back in Starbase, Spacex seeks to complete pending objectives and, as if that were not enough, try for the first time the reuse of one of the rocket stages, the super heavy propeller. Date and time of launch. Following the pattern of the previous flights, the ninth launch of Starship is scheduled to take off in the afternoon, so that the reentry of the ship on the Indian ocean occurs in the sunlight. The launch window opens on Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m., local time of the newly incorporated city of Starbase, Texas. In other cities: Madrid, Spain (CEST, UTC+2): Wednesday, May 28 at 01:30 Mexico City, Mexico (CST, UTC-5): Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. Buenos Aires, Argentina (Art, UTC-3): Tuesday, May 27 at 8:30 p.m. Bogotá, Colombia (COT, UTC-5): Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. Lima, Peru (Pet, UTC-5): Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. Santiago, Chile (CLT, UTC-4): Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. Caracas, Venezuela (Vet, UTC-4): Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. How to see it live. Spacex will broadcast the flight Through its website and His official X profile. The retransmission will begin 30 minutes before takeoff. On this occasion, too They will broadcast live A talk by Elon Musk about the future of the company and its path to the conquest of Mars, which will take place about six and a half hours before the launch. For the most enthusiastic, YouTube channels like Nasaspaceflight, Lab Padre and Everyday Astronaut They usually offer retransmissions with their own cameras from the immediate vicinity of the launch platform. In Spanish, the coverage of Space border, Mission control, Manuel Mazzanti either Spacexstormamong others. All eyes put on the ship. This ninth attempt comes after the investigations of flights 7 and 8, which ended in the loss of the upper stage of the rocket. Spacex has clarified that the causes were different. The seventh flight succumbed to unexpected vibrations that caused a liquid oxygen leak. The eighth, with the vibrations already mitigated, failed for a hardware problem in one of the central raptor engines of the ship, which caused a mixture of propellents and a violent explosion. With the lessons learned, all looks are put on this ninth flight. Double Tirabuzón of the Super Heavy. One of the great milestones of this mission is that the propeller, whose serial number is Booster 14, will be the first to be reused after a successful take -off and landing in the seventh mission. Although 29 of its 33 Raptor engines have already flown, Spacex has carried out exhaustive inspections and replaced single -use components. This time, Booster 14 will not try to be caught by the tower. Instead, he will perform a series of risky experiments during his descent on the Gulf of Mexico: Post-separation controlled turn: several hot separation adapter vents will be blocked so that the thrust of Starship engines make it spin in a known direction, saving propellant. Greater angle of attack: it will try to fly with a more aggressive angle during the descent to increase atmospheric resistance and reduce speed, needing less propenting for landing. Motor tests in spareness: one of the three central engines will be deactivated intentionally during the final phase of the landing ignition to test the capacity of a backup engine. Then, it will go to only two central engines before hard ametering in the Gulf. Many experiments to do. The Starship ship (the number S35) also has a full agenda because it must complete the objectives that Spacex could not demonstrate in the two previous flights: First load deployment: It will display in its suborbital trajectory eight Starlink satellite simulators, similar in size to the next generation of the Spacex constellation. Motor reached in space: he will try again to reade of a Raptor engine in a vacuum to get out of his trajectory. Recentrada experiments: Spacex has eliminated a significant number of thermal tiles of the ship’s shield to test vulnerable areas. It will also test new metal tiles (one with active cooling) and functional capture accessories for future landings in the second tower. In addition, the borders of the tiles have softened to avoid hot points. To top it off, the reentry profile will be more aggressive to deliberately stressed the rear ailerons. The objective is a controlled ameter in the Indian Ocean, where there will already be dawn. Why this flight is so crucial. Starship’s ninth flight is not just one more test. It is an attempt of Spacex to demonstrate the rapid reuse of the super heavy, validate solutions to previous failures in the Starship and, above all, to collect critical data in extreme conditions to approach the objective of a totally reusable launch system. The success in these experiments could accelerate the program, which already has permission to make 25 annual flights. For now, this is the third flight of 2025. Whatever happens, the emotion is guaranteed. Image | Spacex In Xataka | Spacex has been scratching his head for 11 weeks to relaunch Starship. Now he finally has green light to fly again

The 16E iPhone looked like a stumble. In the end it has been decisive for Apple to achieve an unpublished milestone in its history

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Apple has been in the smartphones market for almost two decades, but I had never managed to lead global sales in a first quarter. That has just changed. Between January and March 2025, the Cupertino company has been at the top of the world ranking, ahead of Samsung and with Xiaomi completing the podium. Counterpoint Research has been in charge of putting figures and context to the new Apple milestone. The keys? An unusual launch calendar for the company, a solid growth in emerging markets and a good global behavior just before the earthquake of the tariff war driven by the United States. At the top of the podium. Apple led global smartphones sales in the first quarter of 2025 with a 19% market share. In addition, it achieved a 4% increase in units sold compared to the same period of the previous year. In second position Samsung appears, which obtained 18% and experienced a 5% drop in units sold. Xiaomi, meanwhile, maintains third place with sustained growth. Its evolution has been progressive: in the first quarter of 2023 it had 12% of the market, in 2024 it rose to 13% and in this start of 2025 it has reached 14%. Although its position has not changed, the constant improvement in quota reflects a difficult to ignore rise. An unusual launch. A key part to understand Apple’s leadership This quarter is at the launch of the iPhone 16E. The device was announced on February 19 and reached stores just a week later. Although it is not usual to see new iPhone in this section of the year, there are precedents: The iPhone is original It was launched in March 2016, And the third generation also did it in March, but 2022. An iPhone discussed, but sold without brake. Although the 16E iPhone has not fully convinced those who expected a more competitive proposal in quality-pricethe truth is that its market performance has been remarkable. It is a model with a more accessible approach, but with a hardware reinforced to be compatible with Apple Intelligence. Despite doubts, its launch has had a strong reception. A trimester of contrasts. The global market grew by 3% year -on -year in this first quarter, promoted by China, where “public subsidies reactivated demand, and for recovery in emerging markets such as India, Southeast Asia or Latin America. On the other hand, markets such as Europe, the United States or even China showed signs of exhaustion, according to the analysis firm. A market that does not stop. Samsung started the year with a slower pace due to the delay of Galaxy S25but sales rebounded after its launch and that of the new A. Xiaomi series, meanwhile, reinforced its presence in both new markets and in its country of origin. Vivo became the brand that grew most among the top five, while Oppo maintained fifth place thanks to good results in India, Latin America and Europe. Other manufacturers also gained ground, although they were out of the top five. Huawei was the largest seller in China during the quarter. Honor and Motorola also grew strongly in several international markets, intensifying competition in segments where great global brands predominated. Tension on the horizon. Although the quarter leaves positive figures, the immediate future is not clear. The threat of new tariffs, driven from the United States, has forced brands such as Apple to move file quickly. The company came to charter flights from India to mitigate possible problems. At the moment, exemptions have appeared on stage, but uncertainty persists. Images | Thai Nguyen | Medhat Dawoud | Ricardo Aguilar (Xataka) In Xataka | If the question is “who will win if prices for tariffs up” the answer is: “Second -hand mobiles”

One of the most decisive campaigns of Christianity in Europe had a lost piece. It has been solved by a picture of the 16th century

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For centuries, the camp of Carlos v In the German city of Lauingen it was little more than a scene embodied in a team of the 16th century. Painted by Matthias Gerungshowed in detail the surrender of the city during the War in the Danube campaign. We knew that something important had happened there, but we had not found archaeological evidence that confirmed it and the painting could have been a free artistic interpretation. Until five tombs and a boot buckle caused the painting to become an radiography of the past. Danube campaign. In 1531, Protestant princes joined in the Esmalcalda League To fight the Catholicism that made its way in Europe Thanks to figures such as Carlos V. As usually happens, a religious war began, in this case to defend Protestantism against Catholicism in a war that consisted of bell battles when one of the two forces was considered superior, but also in strategic movements games when they felt at a disadvantage. The League had a huge army, but Carlos V managed to gather experienced soldiers and, above all, a lot of artillery. After a series of attacks and constant harassment, added to the fact that there were league troops that were not too close, it resulted in Carlos V to take control of southern Germany in 1546. He did not mark the end of the war, which would arrive a year later, but it was an important turning point. The picture. The Emperor’s main camp during the campaign was located in Lauingen, a town that surrendered in 1546 and inspired by the artist Matthias Gerung to paint in 1551 his ‘Heerlager Karls V. Bei Lauingen’, or ‘The Camp of Carlos V in Lauingen’. It is a historical piece, there is no doubt about that, but if you have not seen it so far it is understandable because paintings of this style there are many. Or not so many? Gerung embodied many details in the work that allow us to get an idea of ​​how the tents were used, as well as the weapons, armor and clothing. It was so rich that there were tiny details, as ornaments in the clothes or broches very well defined. Was it an artistic license or, was it hyperrealistic? Well, rather … the second. Coincides! The painting represents the moment in which the Lauingen Council surrenders to the emperor and is the heritage of that city. To be such an important place, no human or material remains had been found in the area, something strange that could suggest that Gerung … well, a license had been taken. However, in 2024 the situation took a turn when a group of archaeologists from Bayerisches Landesamt Für Denkmalpflege found five tombs of imperial soldiers in a place extremely similar to that represented in the painting. That changed everything. Apart from the remains, it is not that a lot of objects appear, simply some coins and the closure of a hook -shaped boot. “What has to do with the painting?” You will be wondering, because much: that closure coincides perfectly with some that can be seen in Gerung’s painting. The detail of the picture is surprising, everything must be said Coins. In a new one releasethe researchers of the BLFP They claim that the five deceased found were young men who had structural changes in the legs of the legs due, surely, to a large overload fruit of the long marches of the army. But objects are the true protagonists because, normally, in the tombs of this era there are neither coins or footwear remains. And, beyond that the closure of the boot coincides with the one that was represented in the painting, the really key is the dating of the currencies, which by their inscriptions aim to be from the 16th century. And all this represent the first clear dating sample of this era in the area. Eureka! “The antiquity of the coins suggests that burial Deputy Director of the Archaeological Conservation Department of Susabia de BLFP. The next steps of the archaeologists is to continue analyzing the remains found, but the most curious thing about this story is the painter’s excellent documentation to perform his work, since either he was in the place and stayed with all the details or was magnificently advised by someone who was in the camp. And it is, according to the coincidence found by archaeologists, an almost photographic representation of the camp that was touchstone in European history. Images | BLFD In Xataka | In 1061 two Galicians signed a legal agreement. More and more historians believe that it is really a gay wedding

Lip-Bu will assume command at a decisive time for the semiconductor company

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Lip-bu Tan It will be the new CEO of Intel. The experienced executive, one of the main candidates after the abrupt departure from Pat Gelsingerwill assume the position on March 18. With his appointment, he will relieve David Zinsner and Michelle (MJ) Johnston Holthaus, who have led the company interim since December. “Lip-Bu is an exceptional leader whose experience in the technology industry, deep relationships in product and casting ecosystems, and a proven history of value creation for shareholders is exactly what Intel needs in his next CEO,” said Frank D. Yeary, who temporarily led the board of directors while looking for a new CEO. A fervent Gelsinger critic will be new CEO of Intel But the story of so with Intel does not start here. In the past, he was a fierce critic of the management of Gelsinger and the management that the company was taking. The former Cadence Design Systems courses joined the Intel Board of Directors In September 2022 with the objective of promoting the restructuring plan of the semiconductor firm. However, the differences with Gelsinger and other members of the Board soon arise. According to ReutersSo considered that Intel had an oversized template and that the company was losing agility in an increasingly dynamic market. For him, the real problem was not only the size of the company, but its risk aversion, a factor that was leaving it behind the competition. The tensions reached its highest point in October 2023, just when Intel announced the dismissal of more than 10,000 employees In an attempt to reduce costs and improve your efficiency. So, in disagreement with the management of the crisis and the strategic decisions of Gelsinger, he resigned from his position on the Board of Directors. Now he returns to hold the highest position of the company. His appointment not only marks a leadership change, but also presumable turn in Intel’s strategy. So arrives with the mission of redefining the future of the company, making it more competitive and recovering the trust of investors. Intel stands out in its statement How he has a degree in Physics from the Technological University of Nanyang (Singapore), has a Master in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Technological Institute and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. In 2022, he received the Robert N. Noyce Award, the maximum recognition of the Semiconductor Industry Association. Images | Intel In Xataka | China prepares the mate to the US: it will have its own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

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