desperately

desperately finding your own SpaceX

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In the technological field, it is often said that Europe regulates a lot and innovates little. This regulatory obsession is something that the European Union is often criticized for, but it has managed important technical advances in technology (a universal airdrop and the USB-C standardization). However, it is true that, in certain fields, other countries have overtaken us to the right. In spatial matters, it is evident: China is investing a lot and SpaceX takes the lead in reusable rockets. Europe wants to get its act together and has announced a megaproject. One of more than 900 million euros to find its own SpaceX. In short. November 2023 marked the turning point for European space ambitions. The ESA advertisement the European Launcher Challenge, an initiative to foster competition between European orbital launch providers, promote a diverse ecosystem to access space, develop cost-effective solutions and, above all, improve European autonomy in space transportation. During this time, it has awarded contracts of up to 169 million euros to five companies that will have the task of developing these processes, the Spanish PLD Space being one of them. It was essential that European States respond with financing, and we already have the results. A few days ago, the ESA published ‘Document 100’ that details each of the investments made by the participants. Final amount? 902.16 million euros to finance the space program. Not necessary: ​​vital. Not only countries with companies involved in development have put money in: there are others that do not have production plans, but have committed funds to the program. It responds to the movements that have been occurring in the world for almost four years. If ESA, and Europe, want to be relevant in space, they must be self-sufficient, just as Russia, the United States and China are. The problem is that it wasn’t. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Access to Soyuz rockets was cut off. He Ariane 5 European retired in 2023 and Ariane 6 has had a series of major mishaps until its first flight in summer 2024. This goes beyond sending astronauts to the ISS: it implies that, without rockets, critical satellites such as The Galileo navigation or the Euclid telescope. Europe had to foldwith many reviewsbefore SpaceX and from the ESA management itself, they signed the agreement with a “we have no other option.” Show me the money. With those 902 million euros, Europe seeks sovereignty, something it is doing in other areas (rearmament, for example), because he understands that he cannot trust geopolitical agreements that, at one time or another, can be broken. The biggest bets have been made from the countries that have the most interest in the program: Germany It is the one that has contributed the most: a total of 363 million euros. France It is the second with about 179 million euros. Spain will make a contribution of 169 million euros. United Kingdom about 144 million euros. And then, as we say, other countries like Norway with 29 million euros directly to the European Launcher Challenge, but each country contributes another amount to other ESA programs. The amounts are astronomical and go to each person’s homeland. In the case of Spain, for example, 36.77 million are going to PLD Space to develop the MIURA 5 and another 132 million for the rocket construction sector in Elche. The chosen ones. And the companies that will receive the bulk of the financing to develop their programs, which they will later sell to ESA, are the following: Isar Aerospace – German company that develops the Spectrum rocket to carry medium payloads. Rocket Factory Augsburg – Also German, she works on the RFA One launcher which is already in the testing phase. MaiaSpace – French she is developing Reusable vertical landing technology. This is a key piece to reduce the price of each launch, which is what SpaceX is achieving with its rockets. PLC Space – The Spanish one who develops the MIURA 5, a small class launcher, as well as a family of reusable rockets called Miura Next. Orbex – British company that plans to host launches from the Saxavord outpost in the Shetland Islands and is developing the Prime A. Feet of lead. Despite the ambition of the project and the companies involved, we must go with a certain skepticism, precisely because of what I commented at the beginning of the article: the regulatory desire. While the American model has allowed SpaceX’s ambitions to be unleashed, with a huge investment and one NASA turning to Musk’s company To put its astronauts into orbit, Europe has maintained a model of strong government oversight. Recently, some voices they asked whether Europe could create a reusable rocket industry, taking into account that it is something that requires specific market conditions that have not been cultivated in the territory. This is precisely where the ESA wants to put the patch with its European Launcher Challenge thanks to a change in policies and investment. Since 2023, private investment in space technology has skyrocketed in Europe and institutions have point to a change of course to “recover sovereignty in terms of access to space.” It only remains to see how the five companies develop their systems, something that will happen before the end of 2027 with a view to ESA missions towards 2030. Images | OrbexIsar Aerospace, ESA, MaiaSpaceFRG In Xataka | “Elon Musk can monopolize everything,” warns Arianespace, which has been launching all of Europe’s satellites for 40 years

Mexico desperately needed Mexicans to care about axolotls. So he put them on the bills

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The cultural phenomenon around Mexican axolotl It began with an apparently modest gesture: its appearance on a bill, part of a design process in which specialists in Xochimilco advised the Bank of Mexico to faithfully represent this unique species and its chinampero ecosystem. The initial intention was pedagogical and symbolic, but it ended up unleashing an unexpected enthusiasm of unknown dimensions. The creature that conquered a country. As we said, the emergence in 2021 of the axolotl on the Mexican 50 peso bill completely transformed the country’s relationship with a species that, until then, was known only by specialists and inhabitants from Xochimilco. From the first day of circulation, the design captivated millions of people, not only for its aesthetics, but for the soft and enigmatic figure of the amphibian that, unintentionally, embodied a mixture of tenderness, identity and cultural pride. Without millions in circulation. The bill became an immediate phenomenon: collectors, families and young people began to keep it as a small treasure, which explains why, more than four years later, the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) has announced through a report that 9.8 million Mexicans They keep or collect this bill as if it were a treasure and they have decided to remove it from circulation. In fact, the bank has detailed that 68% of those consulted, who responded that they keep or collect this paper currency, have one to five units. According to the calculation, if 9.8 million Mexicans keep a 50 bill, it is estimated that around 490 million pesos of this currency, or its approximate equivalent of more than 26 million dollarsare out of circulation. Hallucinatory. Awards. Its success even led to it being internationally awarded as ticket of the yearconsecrating what was already intuited: the image of the axolotl had connected with a collective sensitivity that went far beyond the economic. And behind that image there was a real animal, an axolotl called Gordaselected after a careful process of documentation and photography, which ended up becoming a national figure without anyone planning it. The daily life of la Gorda. Gorda currently lives in Axolotitlán, the National Axolotl Museumwhere she remains in a deep and well-kept fish tank where she is no longer constantly exposed due to her advanced age. Even so, those who visit it can recognize it by small white spots on its head, a feature that ended up becoming its hallmark. Its fame has generated a parallel ecosystem of objects and souvenirs (from stuffed animals to mugs and clothing) that have reinforced its presence in the country’s daily life. But beyond popular culture, specialists have remembered that admiration also implies responsibility: the axolotl is a extremely fragile speciesdependent on a specific environment, and its sudden notoriety only makes sense if it translates into greater awareness about its conservation. Gorda’s story shows that a single specimen can become a bridge between citizens and nature, but also that collective emotion must be accompanied by decisions that guarantee the survival of the species. An extraordinary creature. The qualities axolotl biologicalfrom its ability to regenerate limbs, tissues and even parts of the brain, to its breathing through gills, skin and mouth, or its condition as a salamander that does not complete metamorphosis, have made it a unique animal in the world. However, this singularity coexists with a critical situation: he Ambystoma mexicanum It is classified as extremely endangered and the destruction of its habitat has been constant for decades. Xochimilco, the only place where this species exists naturally, faces a combination of threats: accelerated urbanization, water pollution and the presence of invasive species that have decimated native ones since the 1980s. And more. Added to this are improvised interventionssuch as the release of axolotls without scientific protocols, which end in almost immediate mortality due to thermal shock, poor water quality or competition between specimens. The specialists they insist in which the conservation of the axolotl is not an act of isolated goodwill, but a technical process that requires strict control of the environment, genetic evaluation, slow acclimatization and comprehensive protection of the channels. The fragility of the animal reflects the fragility of the ecosystem that supports it. Restore Xochimilco. Scientists say that the conservation of the axolotl is inseparable from recovery of Xochimilcoand that evidence has led researchers and chinamperos to undertake shelter projects that recover ancestral agricultural techniques. These restored chinampas act as safe microecosystems where axolotls can remain free of contact with invasive species and with adequate water quality. The objective is not to create artificial reserves, but return to the environment its original balance so that the species can survive without eternally depending on human intervention. Xochimilco is not just a historical heritage nor a tourist postcard, it is a living system that regulates floods, stabilizes temperature, supports traditional agriculture and houses a biodiversity that depends on its continuity. The axolotl is only the visible tip of a problem much broader: if your home disappears, ecological functions on which the entire region depends will also disappear. The hype. Be that as it may, the social phenomenon of the 50 peso bill demonstrated that an image can change public perception of an entire species. Gorda became a symbol recognized by millions of people, capable of arousing curiosity, affection and an unexpected sense of identity. But the real impact is not in the collection of banknotes or in the objects inspired by the axolotl, but in the opportunity it opened to understand that conservation is a deeply cultural act: Only what is known is protected, and only that with which a bond is generated is cared for. The challenge in Mexico now is to convert that emotion into a sustained commitment. The bill gave visibility, and the restoration of Xochimilco will decide if that visibility has a future. The axolotl, meanwhile, has already occupied a place in everyday life, and now it is the country that must decide if it will also occupy a place in its future. Image | Dgzvs2012 In Xataka | We … Read more

While the world desperately seeks rare earth, China has an overwhelming advantage: it’s called Wem

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It seems clear that it has begun A race On the planet: the search for Rare earths and the essential critical minerals for many of the sectors that mark the geopolitical agenda. The problem for 99.9% of nations is the same: when they seem to have reached a deposit there are already A Chinese flag. What is not usually explained so much is how Beijing does. The miliar origin. Deep in the mountains of center of China extends A monumental installation that transforms both the landscape and the global competition for strategic resources. It is a gigantic antenna of 500 kilowatts, with lines that are deployed over 80 and 120 kilometers, originally conceived to maintain communication with underwater underwater. This electromagnetic colossus, whose extension exceeds in five times the New York surfacehas been converted into a decisive instrument for the exploration of critical minerals, projecting signals capable of penetrating kilometers in the earth’s crust and revealing deposits that previously remained out of human reach. What began as a military project has become a Scientific and Technological Weapon which gives Beijing a remarkable advantage in the race for the resources that will define the future of energy and industry. Electromagnetic exploration. A study of the China Geological Survey (CGS), published in the Geophysical & Geochemical Exploration magazine, has detailed how the country has managed to monopolize Electromagnetic systems of ultra-high power. All platforms that exceed 100 kW are in Chinese territory, while the most powerful tool in the United States barely reaches 30 kW. The difference is not trivial: this technological leap has allowed Chinese geologists to discover in recent years sites of historical magnitude, such as the Greater gold deposit of the world, reserves Lithium ultra-extends and uranium veins in depths Never achieved. The research led by Chen Hui and his team affirms That these innovations consolidate China’s world position in electromagnetic exploration theory and technology, placing it far ahead of any western competitor. The challenge. As the superficial deposits of copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earths are exhausted, the exploration has moved to what geologists call The “Second Mineral Space”: An underground strip that extends between 500 and 2,000 meters deep. In this environment, the signs issued by mineral bodies are extremely weak and are usually buried under the cultural noise generated by electricity lines, urban infrastructure and extractive operations. The Chinese response has been to redefine the scale of prospecting: multiply the transmission power by above 100 kWflooding the subsoil with signs capable of crossing interference and reaching depths of up to 3,000 meters with unprecedented clarity. Advances in the subsoil cartography. The jump is not limited to power. While conventional techniques relied on two -dimensional models not suitable for complex structures, Chinese systems use Sensors distributed networks and multidirectional field sources that allow a real three -dimensional image of the subsoil. In the Jiama copper mine, in the Tibet, a controlled audio-magnetothelúrica tensorial study (CSAMT) reached unpublished resolutions at more than 3,000 meters, subsequently confirmed with drilling nuclei. These results They far exceeded to the Magnetotheluric of Natural Source, usually ineffective in saturated noise environments. The methods. One of the most prominent advances is the Electromagnetic method wide field, developed by Professor He Jishan, which allows you to obtain reliable data even in the so -called “nearby field zone”, where the records were not very useful. At the same time, the time-frequency electromagnetic systems are expanding the available information by measuring not only the resistance of the materials, but also its polarization and permeabilityessential parameters to distinguish between different types of deposits. The Wem project. And so we reach the clearest symbol of this ambition: The Wem project (Wireless Electromagnetic Method), whose colossal structure crosses China’s heart with two antenna lines arranged almost at right angles. This system, which began as a naval communication tool, has become the First electromagnetic transmitter of continental scale used in the prospecting of resources. In a national test carried out in 2023its signs were detected from Tibet to Interior Mongolia and Guangdong, more than 2,000 kilometers away. In the area of ​​Xiong’an there were magnetic fields up to seven times higher than the natural background noise, an unequivocal demonstration of the system’s capacity to impose itself on the most complex interference. Strategic advantage. In other words, with these Beijing technologies It is placed at the head of the struggle for the essential mineral resources for the energy transition and the green technologies: lithium for batteries, cobalt for high resistance alloys and rare earths essential in modern electronics. In contrast, most Western countries lack comparable systems and, except Russia, almost none use ultra-high power instruments in terrestrial prospecting. Even the most powerful teams manufactured in the West have been designed at China, which underlines the existing technological dependence. A new geopolitical board. China’s ability to identify deep deposits quickly Not only is it a scientific advantage, but also strategic. Control over technology and data places Beijing in a position to mark the rhythm of the discovery of resources in the coming decades. If you want, in a context where the energy transition redefines the global value chains, who controls access to lithium, cobalt and rare earth will control much of the industrial future. With the deployment of Giant antennas and electromagnetic systems Of unpublished power, China is making it clear that it does not intend to participate in the race: its goal is to win it. Image | Ilo Asia-Pacific, Herry Lawford, Terence Wright In Xataka | The great covered in the War of Critical Minerals is Tungsten. The US needs it and 83% have it China In Xataka | In 1978 Chinese engineers visited two key US companies. On his return an empire began: the rare earths

Spanish stadiums seek money desperately, and it is not by whim. 19 days of business a year are no longer enough

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The City has just signed the one who wants. The Al-Hilal has paid Neymar more than 100 million a year. Chelsea spends 300 million in a summer and nothing happens. And meanwhile, Real Madrid has to convert the Bernabéu into a shopping center with retractable grass to try to keep up. This is the story that nobody tells when he talks about Why are Spanish stadiums transforming into money 365 days a year. It is not so much innovation as survival. The problem began when the Premier League began to distribute 2,000 million a year only in television rights. Then the clubs arrived. The City, the PSG, the Newcastle. Then Arabia Saudi appeared offering contracts that make the gulf sheikhs look poor. Spanish clubs look at their income and make accounts. The last of the Premier enters more on television than the Liga room. Nottingham Forest can pay wages that Sevilla or Valencia cannot be allowed. And when they try to compete for a decent player, a Saudi club appears offering the triple. The solution? Squeeze the stadium to the last drop. Concerts, weddings, tours, restaurants, hamburger competitions, whatever. Because 19 League games a year no longer give to pay the squad of a half -table team. The Valencian metaphor The Roig Arena is about to open its doors and already has A long list of confirmed events. It will be the largest covered pavilion in Spain, with capacity for 18,600 people in concerts. Juan Roig, owner of Mercadona, has set 280 million pocket to make it come true. Six kilometers, on the other side of Valencia, is the skeleton of the Nou Mestalla. Abandoned for 16 yearsin an uncomfortable limbo for all – club, hobby, city, town hall – but it’s too late to reculate. The works have just resumed because there was no other. Among those six kilometers there is an uncomfortable reality: Roig Arena is going to eat the event market that Valencia CF needs desperately. The club expects the Nou Mestalla, when finished in 2027, it works 365 days a year to generate the income that allows you to survive. But by then, Roig’s pavilion will have already taken many of the concerts and large events that are not outdoor football. Roig’s play is brilliant: A multipurpose space that does not depend on signings, or qualify for Europe, or compete with petrodollars. It only needs people to want to see Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny OA who visits Valencia now that he will have an ideal place. And that fits wonderful with the culture of the event that prevails in this era. Meanwhile, Peter Lim has Valencia on the edge of the abyss, with a half -stadium to make when open will be late for the party. And there go the shots of this story. How Spanish football has discovered that the sports brick business does not work as before. And cases in Madrid and Barcelona Real Madrid had everything calculated. Great 1,347 million in the new Santiago Bernabéu was not a whim, it was a need to continue competing against City or PSG. The plan was brilliant: concerts all year, A 900 square meters StarbucksTours to 30 euros per head. Taylor Swift left 9 million in two nights. At that rate, you amortized the investment and you have to sign. But they did not pay enough attention to a detail. The neighbors. 95 decibels when the legal limit is 58. 24 complaints that did not see enough the club’s proposal to sound free home. 2.6 million in fines. Concerts suspended until further notice. The most expensive stadium in Europe cannot do its business because the houses are 30 meters. And without that extra income, how do you compete with petrodollars? Atlético tried to capture that value thanks to the fact that its stadium, the Metropolitan, is in the middle of nowhere compared to the central Bernabéu. And with it it started until The threats of complaints arrived. But for now he will shelter ten concerts by Bad Bunny, a million admitted by concert. Meanwhile, Barça is getting 1,450 million at Camp Nou after losing 100 million a year playing in Montjuïc. Is The perfect paradox: You need to spend money that you don’t have to generate money you need to compete with clubs that have infinite money. The plan is that the new stadium Generate 247 million annually. Not only football, of course. Of everything that can be monetized. Because with 19 League games it does not even arrive to pay the interests of the Goldman Sachs credit. The boom that everyone wants to hunt Spain He invoiced 725 million in live music in 2024. Third consecutive record. Fomo and social networks are gasoline. The clubs look at these figures and salivan. If they can stay with a piece of that cake, they can sign a decent side. Maybe. That’s why everyone looks at their stadiums thinking: how is more paste of these bricks? Betis is reforming Villamarín, not to give many concerts or host a shopping center, but for Give a hotel, a well -being center and a clinic. Athletic studies what to do with San Mamés while throwing very expensive entrances in exchange for a postin experience, talk with a player and manager included. Everyone has understood the message: or you find new sources of income or become the quarry of the Saudis. The stadiums of the future will not be football stadiums that also do other things. Will be multipurpose spaces where football is occasionally played. Juan Roig has understood it perfectly. That is why he builds pavilions, he does not buy soccer clubs. He could rescue Valencia CF – his brother has Villarreal and is managing it wonderfully – but that movement has not been given and already seems completely discarded. Another without running out presided over the club in the nineties and came out regular. The clubs that understood this in time may survive. Those who continue to think that … Read more

While Europe desperately seeks alternative to Russian gas, a Spanish province has already found it: Burgos

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A few days after summer begins, Europe has an eye on winter. Not because he wants to omit a hot summer, but for a real concern: gas reserves are almost empty. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced That community leaders will discuss new measures, including the possible definitive closure of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. So, while in the high spheres geopolitical strategies are designed, a solution is consolidated in a small town of Burgos: biomass. And they found the key. In Doña Santos, a Burgos town of just over a hundred inhabitants, is the headquarters of children of Tomás Martín, a family business that has been linked to the use of wood. However, it was not until 2011, which under the Burpellet brand, They started producing pellet to take advantage of the waste of the sawmill. Ten years later, they expanded their activity with a second floor in Huerta del Rey, which today has a capacity of 150,000 tons per year – the equivalent of five million bags – consolidating itself as the largest national producer and one of the main European referents in biomass. Heat in unstable times. While electricity prices and fossil fuels are in a roller coaster, the pellet has found its balance. According to Avebiom (Spanish Biomass Energy Valuation Association), the Pellet It is maintained As one of the most competitive energy options, with an average cost of 7 cents per kWh, below natural gas, heating diesel and well below electricity. In other words, a 15KG bag would come to € 5.04, a 2.6% decrease compared to the previous quarter. The global energy storm. Only this year, Europe must spend 10,000 million euros more than in 2024 to replenish its gas reserves, pressured by a colder winter and strong global competition, According to the Financial Times. And although prices remain above 2024, they have remained surprisingly stable in recent weeks. According to Bloomberg, China who was one Of the great global buyers of LNGhas reduced its imports for the fourth consecutive month, weighed by a weaker economy, tariff tensions with the United States and a rebound from internal sources. However, nothing is guaranteed because in the months of July and August extreme temperatures are expected on the horizon, which could change the board. In addition, countries like Egypt could enter the market strong They have explained In Bloomberg. Geopolitical pressure, an unstable global market and the delay in the transition to technologies such as hydrogen convert energy supply into a topic of higher priority for Brussels. A good path. Despite the thrust of the LNG and the promises of green hydrogen, immediate solutions do not always come from new technologies. Sometimes they are already working, far from the spotlights. In places like Mrs. Santos. While Brussels projects the energy future of the continent, in the forests of Burgos there is already an answer working: stoves, boilers and heated buildings with compacted wood chips. It does not sound as modern as hydrogen, but it is clean, efficient and local. Image | Rawpixel Xataka | After two years of vertiginous increases, the price of pellets has done something unpublished: start going down

Nvidia desperately seeks engineers for its Taiwan R&D center. They even accuse you of “stealing them” to TSMC

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Nvidia smiles at the future. The pulse held by the US and China governments is degrading their business in the latter country because the US administration prevents them from selling its chips to its Chinese clients to artificial intelligence (Ia) more powerful. Even so, the company led by Jensen Huang currently monopolizes about 90% of the market of the GPUs for Ia. It is likely that in the medium term its quota will be reduced against the presumable growth of competitors such as Huawei or AMD, but right now Nvidia has no reason to worry. And it does not have them because the semiconductor market to grow a lot over the next few years. According to the AMR consultant (Allied Market Research) In 2031 it will have a turnover volume of More than 263,000 million dollars. It is a real barbarity, especially if we are in mind that in 2021 its business amounted to just over 11,000 million dollars. Although the NVIDIA quota is reduced during the next few years, it is reasonable to assume that its business volume will be increased by market growth. The problem facing this company is now another. This is what the engineers who hire in Taiwan pay Nvidia’s directive dome seems to be very clear about what to continue growing next to the AI ​​chips market for data centers: expand. It is about it. However, we must not overlook that this company is dedicated to the design of integrated circuits, so it does not need to invest in the construction of semiconductor manufacturing plants; What needs to expand its network of research and development centers (R&D). And Taiwan is a very attractive destination. Nvidia already has an R&D center in Taiwan, and is launching another The semiconductor industry is The main support of the island’s economywhich has caused Taiwanese universities to develop specialized training programs that seek to place the highly qualified technical staff on the labor market that They require companies such as TSMC, UMC or Foxconnamong others. Nvidia already has an R&D center in Taiwan, and is launching another. However, you are facing a very serious problem: it is having many difficulties in recruiting the highly qualified engineers you need. It is surprising, but although in Taiwan thousands of engineers are formed every year, the companies of the island have a hard time recruiting as many as they need. Even to TSMC. To solve this problem NVIDIA has chosen to offer very high wages. An engineer who has just finished his studies and, therefore, has no experience, pays him a maximum salary of $ 83,000 annually. And an experienced engineer up to 185,000 dollars a year and a very juicy bonus. According to the Taiwanese medium EBC News Nvidia’s aggressive salaries’ policy responds to the need for attract TSMC engineers highly qualified. It does not seem crazy. After all, the law of supply and demand works. Image | Nvidia More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | Nvidia has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. His plan in China is in danger

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