forces

Amazon forces its engineers to use AI and measures who uses it the most. The employee response: anti-AI memes

by

AI gurus keep selling us that this technology is going to change the world and? the AGI is about to fall. From the outside, everything is promises of automation and productivity, but from the inside the feeling is very different. Yesterday we learned that the engineers who are working on Google AI They don’t stop making fun of her on internal channels. Well, exactly the same thing is happening on Amazon. Sloppenheimer. It’s one of the memes that Amazon employees have shared in the Slack channel called #actual-aws-memes. In it they mock tools like Kiro (Amazon Web Services’ code platform), Claude Code, and the AI ​​agent Meshclaw. They tell it in 404mediawhere they have spoken with several company employees who wanted to remain anonymous. These employees admit that anti-AI memes started circulating quite some time ago (in late 2024), which is when the company started putting more pressure on them to adopt AI tools. Of course, although mockery of AI is very common, they assure that there is a variety of opinions on the matter. Kiro AI. It is the tool that receives the most ridicule. There are several memes that suggest Kiro is pretty mediocre, such as the one that includes the text “Kiro: I confirm I have the full picture” over an image of an iceberg with much of it underwater. Discontent with this tool reached such a point that Amazon closed Kirorank, an internal leaderboard that measured and rewarded employees’ use of Kiro. Amazon’s official version is that employees had already integrated AI into their daily lives and ranking was no longer necessary, but what really happened is that engineers started cheating. They automated absurd and totally useless tasks for the sake of climbing the rankings, adding to the company’s AI bill. Amazon is not the only one. As we said at the beginning, this anti-AI rebellion based on memes is not exclusive to Amazon, exactly the same thing is happening at Google. While CEO Sundar Pichai boasts that 75% of Google’s code is written with AIemployees use an internal channel to make fun of that very thing. For example, while Google announced news in the Google I/O 2026a meme appeared on the channel saying that they were announcing “new ways to slop.” Memes can be voted on with a reaction system and this immediately added 100 thumbs up. They also make fun of the AI bros who do not stop evangelizing about the benefits of AI and point out the enormous work it is to review the code made by AI, often riddled with errors. What companies say. There is an evident disconnection between the official discourse and the internal feeling of the employees. Amazon has responded to the leaks by trying to downplay them. In an email to 404media, Amazon assures that the negative comments come from a few individuals and do not represent the majority. For its part, Google sent a statement to the same media in which they said they encouraged their employees to test and criticize their internal tools, even through memes. And a curious thing, Google sent two almost identical statements, the only difference is that in the first they mentioned that it was “essential that we keep humans in the process, including supervision.” In the second that phrase had disappeared. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | From “tokenmaxxing” we have moved on to “tokenwasting”: the level of waste in AI is reaching unprecedented levels

The longest solar burst ever detected lasted almost three weeks. Four ships had to join forces to study it

by

Four different spacecraft have confirmed the detection of the longest solar burst ever recorded. measured to date. Previously, the longest known lasted 5 days. However, the one just described in a studio in The Astrophysical Journal Letter It was much longer, as it lasted from August 21 to September 9, 2025. No more and no less than 19 days. Four ships, one answer. This very special solar burst was detected for the first time by Solar Orbiter of the European Space Agency (ESA). The objective of this spacecraft is none other than to study the poles and solar winds, as well as the Sun’s magnetic field, from a close distance. It was not the first solar burst that he had detected, but he had never encountered one of these characteristics. The results were confirmed twelve days later by the ships wind and Parker Solar Probeboth from NASA. A few days later, the STEREO-Aalso from NASA, again supported the same result. A type IV burst. This long burst is a type IV burst. A phenomenon that occurs when electrons are trapped in the Sun’s magnetic field is known as a solar flare, so that they begin to spiral around its lines, generating a large amount of electromagnetic radiation. There are five types. Those of type IV They have wide bandwidths and can last for hours. The duration of this was much longer, which is why it attracted so much attention. The key is in coronal mass ejections. Solar flares are completely harmless. And, unlike other phenomena, such as solar winds or coronal mass ejections, they do not release plasma or charged particles, only radio waves. Therefore, they would not affect telecommunications on Earth. Now, in this case it has been seen that the burst could be related to coronal mass ejections. According to the clues collected by STEREO-A and the scientists’ reconstructions, there must have been 3 coronal mass ejections that served as food for the radio burst. But what is that? Coronal mass ejections are abrupt releases of plasma that are generated in the solar corona when a lot of energy accumulates in it. Possibly, these three ejections were supplying electrons to the explosion, such that there were always electrons trapped and rotating around the magnetic field. That, possibly, is what made this burst last so long. When he was running out of “food”, the Sun was giving him more. Very important. These types of findings are very important because they help us better understand how the Sun works. Solar activity follows cycles of approximately 11 years, with peaks and low points. In 2025 there was a big peak, especially active. Studying everything that happened at that time is very useful to better understand this type of phenomena, especially those that can affect telecommunications, such as solar winds or coronal mass ejections themselves. In this case, the ejecta had not been seen as such, but the long trail they left had been seen. Analyzing that footprint is as useful as it is for paleontologists to study those left by the dinosaurs. Image | THAT In Xataka | The Webb and Hubble telescopes simultaneously observed Jupiter’s auroras. The problem is that they didn’t see the same thing

LaLiga has been at war with Cloudflare for years over piracy. It has just joined forces with its main competitor

by

We have bad news and worse news. The bad thing is that condemnation of the indiscriminate blocking of LaLiga IPs continues to occur more than a year later. The bad thing is that probably go more. Above all, after the agreement that LaLiga has reached with Fastly. what has happened. LaLiga yesterday announced an agreement with the company Fastly, a direct competitor of Cloudflare in the market “edge cloud“. Both provide CDN and content acceleration services as well as web security, but their philosophies are different. While one has become a great defender of the privacy of its clients and users, the other has teamed up with LaLiga to help it in this crusade against the broadcasts of football matches on IPTV platforms. In reality LaLiga He already made a similar move a year ago. AI to detect illegal emissions. According to the announcement, Fastly “has developed a smart, targeted detection system that leverages AI and content signals from owners to identify illegal broadcasts in near real-time.” This solution, they say in LaLiga, will allow the elimination of “illegal content (…) with greater precision and drastically reducing the scope for piracy.” The glitch that makes speed everything. The data from the Grant Thornton study cited in the press release are revealing: in 2024 at least 10.8 million unauthorized retransmissions were detected, 81% without broadcast suspension, and only 2.7% addressed in less than thirty minutes. An illegal issue of this type has a very short window of value. If it is not removed within the first few minutes, the damage has already been done. AI to detect… and a hammer to block? The system that Fastly has created promises surgical detection of these IPTV broadcasts, but there are no details or evidence that it actually fulfills that promise. The real question will then be another: if this detection information will end up contributing to the massive and indiscriminate blocking of IPs being even more massive and indiscriminate, or if it will improve that precision. It does not seem likely, because shared IPs are still the root of the problem: when LaLiga orders to block a Cloudflare IP, in reality that IP is shared by dozens, hundreds or even thousands of websites. Knocking down the guilty makes many innocent people They are punished again and again. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. LaLiga has been trying to force Cloudflare to collaborate for years through judicial means. That has had legal costs, collateral damage and a public relations battle that has clearly impacted the organization’s reputation. The alternative sought is to go to someone who precisely understands perfectly how the segment in which Cloudflare operates works. Not only that, if successful, Fastly may end up attracting other leagues and television producers from around the world. The real solution would probably be another. In Xataka | “We have gone from earning 70,000 euros a month to 40,000”: LaLiga’s IP blocks are bleeding many companies dry

First the PS5 rises in price by 100 euros and now the lack of chips forces Sony to stop selling SD and CFexpress cards in Japan

by

Buying a computer, a mobile phone or a console is much more expensive today than it was a couple of years ago and the voracious appetite of data centers is to blame for this component crisis: RAM has become more expensivemore of the same for NAND storage (and therefore, of SSDs) and already threatens even to the batteries. And consumer electronics manufacturers are making moves to avoid swallowing the price rise resulting from this imbalance between supply and demand. If we talk about gaming, a couple of days ago Sony threw a bucket of cold water on those who expected its latest console to drop in price over time because it has been the opposite: The PS5 will go up 100 euros in April. But it is not Sony’s only drastic measure: in Japan have announced that stop selling storage cards. When you see your neighbor’s beard cut… NAND memory chip shortage is wreaking havoc If you have tried to buy a memory card in recent months, you will have already realized that prices have gone up a lot for that common little device that we use for photography, gaming or the Raspberry Pi (which also its price has skyrocketed due to the component crisis). Well, Sony has gone one step further and has indefinitely suspended the acceptance of orders for almost all of its line of CFexpress Type A, Type B and SD cardswhether for authorized distributors or those who buy from the Sony Store. The brief Sony Japan statement is blunt: “Due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, it is expected that supply will not be meet the demand for CFexpress and SD memory cards in the near future. Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend the receipt of orders from our authorized dealers and customers in the Sony store from March 27, 2026. As for the resumption of accepting orders, we will study it based on the supply situation and will announce it separately on the product information page.” It is no longer just the temporary suspension, it is that there is no return date and the reality is that the medium-term future looks bleak: it does not seem that this shortage of components will be resolved in the coming months. In fact, the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran It is bringing other consequences beyond the rise in fuel prices: helium shortageessential in cooling operations in chip manufacturing It is true that this statement is restricted only to Japanbut the shortage is not exclusive to the Asian country: a quick search for SD in the Sony Store in Spain It returns just four models, one moderately affordable 64GB and then three others of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB that cost around 300 euros. One of the most affected models are the TOUGH cards used in professional photography and the entry-level SD cards. What you can buy today on the Sony website About a month ago the CEO of Phison, one of the major suppliers of controllers for SSDs and memory cards, he already warned: If the situation does not improve, this shortage may end the closure of consumer electronics companies completely in 2026. In Xataka | Not content with bursting demand and prices for RAM, AI is already targeting another victim: batteries In Xataka | The current generation of consoles was supposed to be “weak” and the games were expensive. Well: nothing has stopped the PS5 Cover | Xataka

Germany wants to do what Japan did with rare earths in 2010: join forces against China

by

BMW, Rheinmetall and the main German industries are working on the creation of a joint agency to purchase critical mineralsa move that would reduce dependence on China, according to they count from Financial Times. The idea is to pursue the model that Japan proposed a few years ago, and the story behind it explains why it makes sense. The starting point. In 2010, China imposed an embargo on rare earth exports to Japan in the midst of a territorial dispute. Tokyo depended on these materials to manufacture everything from cars to electronics. To alleviate the mess they had gotten themselves into, they decided to build an alternative architecture. They created JOGMEC (Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security), a state agency that collaborates with the country’s main conglomerates to ensure the supply of minerals, oil and gas. With this, Japan significantly reduced its dependence on China for rare earths. What Germany is building now. According to counted In the middle, BMW works together with the VDA automobile lobby and representatives of the German defense industry in order to develop a structure similar to what Japan did at the time. Rheinmetall is also in the talks. The specific idea is to create a kind of large private company that bulk buys critical raw materials (lithium, gallium, germanium, rare earths) on behalf of German industry. Just like share In the middle, the federal government could participate with a minority stake. The figures are not yet finalized, but the total cost of the project could amount to several hundred million euros. Why now. Last year, China imposed export controls on essential materials for batteries, permanent magnets and weapons systems. In November it temporarily suspended some of these restrictions until November 2026, but the scare was already in place. Europe was exposedwithout real alternatives, without negotiating power, nothing to do. And German industry (car manufacturers, defense companies, industrial machinery) realized how fragile its supply chain was. The Japanese model. JOGMEC works because it combines public capital with the agility that its large private companies allow, as they are structures with centuries of history in Japan specialized in industrial supply. Germany already has a raw materials agency, DERA, but sources close to the media recognize that needs a profound reform to fulfill that role. The agency being proposed now would have more muscle, with active financing, investment capacity in mining and recycling projects, and direct presence in the market. The state development bank KfW has already prepared a fund of 1 billion euros to finance mining, processing and recycling projects of critical materials, which would serve as a complement. Diplomacy. Just like account The media, Chancellor Friedrich Merz contacted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week, and critical minerals were on the table. And Japan has shown interest in exporting its model abroad. In parallel, this same week the media informed also that the Australian Lynas Rare Earths, the largest producer of rare earths outside China, has closed a supply agreement with Japan with a guaranteed minimum price of $110 per kilogram for neodymium-praseodymium for 12 years. The same price that Washington guaranteed to the American producer MP Materials. The tension with Brussels. The European Commission also works in a centralized body to coordinate strategic purchases and reserves of critical minerals. But from Germany there is skepticism. According to share FT, Germany’s position is that “the industry must make its own decisions” and that governments should limit themselves to managing strategic reserves. In other words, Berlin prefers a model of private initiative with specific state support rather than leaving the strategy in the hands of Brussels. What is at stake. Steel, lithium and rare earths are the backbone of the energy transition and European rearmament. Without neodymium there are no magnets for electric motors or guided missiles. Without gallium and germanium there are no advanced semiconductors. China controls between 60% and 90% of the production chain for most of these materials. Hence many countries are restless. Cover image | Prometheus and Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | The United States knows it has a problem with rare earths from China. And he believes he has an alternative: Mexico

While in the US there is a civil war over military AI, a European one has sneaked into the French Armed Forces: Mistral

by

One of the big topics of conversation in recent weeks is the civil war in the United States. between two of the AI ​​giants and the Government itself. To sum up, Anthropic gave in his artificial intelligence Claude to the Pentagon to integrate it into all its systems along with Palantir. It is estimated that it has been a key tool for capture Nicolás Madurobut also to attack Iranbut since the US wanted to go further and Anthropic refused, OpenAI took its place. It is a very strange situation because the result could be that The US blacklists Anthropic as if it were Huawei. It would be the first time they have done that to an American company and it is something that tells us two things. The first is that governments need big technology companies and their tools. The second is that technology companies also have a lot to gain. And, while all that noise is happening in the United States, in Europe another AI company has ‘sneaked’ into its country’s security systems. We refer to a Mistral that, without making noisehas been building its portfolio of contacts in European defense systems for some time. A local AI for the security of Europe With all the spotlights pointing to ChatGPT, Claude and Chinese equivalents such as DeepSeekothers have been carving out a niche for themselves. Almost without a sound, and overnight, a French company called Mistral was building multilingual models that rivaled the American alternatives that captured all eyes. Founded in June 2023, Mistral will soon converted in the French technological jewel, but also in the Europe’s AI gem. Its managers, engineers who came from Google (deepmind) and Meta, managed to attract the attention of NVIDIA, ASML, Samsung, IBM, Salesforce or a Microsoft that invested 15 million euros and incorporated Mistral models into Azure. Mistral’s policy is to release the code of its models so that anyone can analyze, use and adapt it. According to them, it is something that will accelerate innovation and, without the muscle of the American giants, their approach is to a large model with other smaller and specialized ones. At the beginning of this year, the bombshell arrived. The Ministry of the Armed Forces of France arrive to an agreement with Mistral AI to integrate the company’s models, software and services in public entities related to the ministry. For example, the Atomic Energy Commission, the National Office of Aerospace Studies and Research, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy and, also, the Armed Forces. It is the Ministry of Defense Artificial Intelligence Agency that will supervise all operations, but the idea is to “deploy Mistral tools in France’s infrastructure, ensuring full control over data and critical technologies.” From the Government, it was noted that, with these new tools, they can prepare the Armed Forces for the challenges of the future. However, the fact that Mistral is the Defense model in France may matter little to us… unless we take two things into account. The first: shortly after this agreement became known, public information on how Mistral is seeking Defense contracts outside France. They are getting more and more into this path, signing agreements with Helsinga German defense startup, and Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral, argued that its AI models will be “instrumental in the development of a new generation of defense systems.” Here comes the second thing to take into account. Mensch himself commented that these tools “will ensure Europe’s strategic advantage on the global stage”. This is important because Europe is now at a point where it has realized that the partners and allies of the past may not be the same as those of the future. European sovereignty At the user level we see movements like those of independence from American technologiesbut at a political level, Mistral responds to that search for European sovereignty. Instead of leaving your Defense-related systems in the hands of a foreign company, these agreements mean that it is a European company that is on the inside. And, in the end, this is not just about AI. In recent months we are seeing how Europe is moving to have a more powerful voice in terms of semiconductors, computing for artificial intelligence and even in the new space race. For a long time it has been said that others innovate and Europe legislates, but the current situation It has caused Europe to continue legislating while doing everything else. Images | Mistral AI, Amio Cajander In Xataka | The United States wants to be “sovereign” on a technological level. The problem is that everything it builds depends on other countries

Delaying the closure of a single plant forces us to redesign the entire energy map of Spain

by

Right in the middle of a relentless political and business battle to extend the life of the Spanish atomic park, the harsh reality of the market has imposed itself. While top executives discuss the long-term future, the present has hit the table: the owner of the Almaraz II nuclear power plant notified the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) of an unscheduled shutdown of its reactor and its decoupling from the electrical grid. The alarms did not go off due to a security problem. In fact, the incident was classified as level 0 (no significance for security) on the international INES scale, to which we have had access. The real reason was purely economic and motivated by causes related to the electricity market. As explained The Extremadura Newspaper, The recent succession of storms triggered renewable production —sinking electricity prices— which, added to an “unaffordable tax burden” that represents more than 75% of its variable costs, made it completely unfeasible to keep the reactor on. The recent pulse: from disconnection to extension This disconnection collides head-on with the intense corporate movements of recent weeks. At the end of October, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy presented to the Executive a formal request to postpone until June 2030 the closure of Almaraz, whose two reactors were scheduled to be disconnected for 2027 and 2028. But the ambition of the sector does not stop in Cáceres. According to Five Daysthe president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, has confirmed that they will request the expansion of other plants in the future, ensuring that “most of them can reach 60 and even 80 years.” This position is supported by technical and logistical arguments from the industry. As detailed in The Economistthe CEO of Endesa, José Bogas, aspires to prolong “in round numbers about 10 more years” the entire Spanish nuclear park. Bogas argues that it does not make logistical sense to proceed with the complex dismantling of two groups of the same plant on different dates (2027 and 2028). Meanwhile, the CSN is already analyzing the documentation to issue its mandatory report, foreseeably in summer, as reported in a press release from the regulator itself. The possible extension of Almaraz has opened a huge gap between two irreconcilable visions of the energy transition. In the block of those who defend extending atomic life, economic and labor arguments set the pace. According to the statements of Ignacio Sánchez Galán collected by Vozpópulinuclear power plants are a key element in reducing the price of electricity. In fact, the president of Iberdrola recalls that European countries that lack this type of energy, such as Italy and Germany, pay “about 20 euros more” per megawatt hour for electricity compared to Spain and France. Added to this defense of competitiveness is the warning about the direct impact on the final consumer’s pocket. A recent report from the OBS Business School alert that if Almaraz closesthe inevitable dependence on gas would increase the electricity bill by around 23% for households – between 150 and 250 euros more per year – and up to 35% for industry. Beyond the receipt, there is the territorial factor. The College of Industrial Engineers, in statements to The Energy Newspaperremember that this plant not only generates 7% of the electricity in all of Spain, complying with the highest international safety standards (WANO 1), but is also a vital economic engine to sustain 4,000 direct and indirect jobs that stop depopulation in the region. However, against this position stands a solid wall of detractors who see the extension as an imminent danger for the green transition. A joint investigation by the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), prepared on behalf of Greenpeaceconcludes that extending Almaraz for just three years would mean “momentary relief, structural damage.” Researchers calculate that this decision would cost consumers a cumulative extra cost of 3,831 million euros between now and 2033 and would stop up to 26,129 million euros in investments destined for new clean energies. From Greenpeace they also point to the so-called “plug effect”: since nuclear is an inflexible technology that produces fixed gear regardless of demand, it often forces us to disconnect or waste renewable energy—free and clean—in times of high sun or wind. This situation generates a climate of enormous concern in the green sector. In an interview with InfoLibrePedro Fresco, general director of the Valencian renewable employer association Avaesen, warns that granting a “mini-extension” of three years would be the worst possible scenario. In his opinion, this movement would send a message of total uncertainty to investors, threatening to stop the development of future renewable projects in its tracks. The “Domino Effect”: rewriting the energy map The true background of this battle is that Almaraz is not an isolated piece. As several experts warn he Vigo Lighthouse and andl Newspaper of Extremaduradelaying the closure of the Cáceres plant would unleash an unstoppable “domino effect” throughout the national territory. If Almaraz is delayed to 2030, its closure would coincide in time with that of Ascó I (Tarragona) and Cofrentes (Valencia). The electricity companies assume that the Government would also have to postpone these closures to avoid overlapping the gigantic and complex work of dismantling four reactors simultaneously. This would also force the closures of Ascó II, Vandellós II and Trillo to be pushed well beyond 2035, blowing up the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The final decision is in the hands of the Executive, which for the moment maintains its position. The Government has marked three non-negotiable red lines to accept any change: that it guarantees radiological safety, security of supply and, above all, that it does not cost consumers an extra euro or imply tax reductions for electricity companies. And this is where the circle closes. As Galán insists on Vozpópulithe plants bear an enormous tax burden of “30-35 euros per megawatt hour.” Without a tax reduction, electricity companies threaten economic viability; but without profitability, it is the market itself that, as … Read more

the discovery that forces us to rewrite the history of engineering

by

The old one city ​​of petrasculpted in the majestic reddish rocks of modern-day Jordan, has always captivated the world for its architectural monumentality. But the truth is that there was still much to discover here, and a recent team of archaeologists has focused on the bowels of its urban engineering and the ssystem they used to transport water in a desert environment. The discovery. Archaeologists have unearthed astonishing evidence pointing to a water system of unprecedented sophistication in this region, and which has transformed the understanding of how the Nabataean civilization managed to thrive, and not just survive, in a very arid desert environment. Where was it seen? This discovery has been published in the magazine Raise by the team led by archaeologist Niklas Jungmann where he has documented the findings in the ‘Ain Braq aqueduct after surveys that began in 2023. Now the researchers have been able to reveal a complex network of aquifer infrastructures that challenge previous conceptions about the hydraulic technology of antiquity in the Near East. What has been seen? The epicenter of this astonishing discovery is the identification of a secondary conduit made up of lead pipes that extends approximately 116 meters. The point is that the presence of these lead pipes It is an extraordinarily rare phenomenon, especially outside the context of complex buildings or large Roman baths. In Petra, this conduit was not a mere fortuitous pipe, but a highly precise piece of technology integrated into a system that combined open channels carved directly into the natural rock with these advanced metal conduits. Its function. The function of this hydraulic system was to exhaustively regulate the pressure and flow of water. The researchers here point out that the lead section functioned mechanically as an inverted siphon, which is a great technical feat that allowed the water to overcome the pronounced unevenness in the terrain. And with these levels it could be very easy for the pipes to collapse, but with the mechanism that they devised at the time, it made it possible to give pressure to the water and maintain the momentum wherever it passed. More complex. Although this type of inverted siphon has attracted a lot of attention, nine conduits, a large reservoir, two cisterns and seven smaller tanks must also be added to the system. All this aimed at capturing scarce water, minimizing its evaporation and supplying the desert city. Its evolution. The study goes further by pointing out that the aqueduct system experienced at least two major phases of development. The first was characterized by the use of lead, an expensive and demanding material. Here experts link this majestic work with the era of the Nabataean king Aretas IVindicating that this system would have been vital in supporting key monuments of the city, such as the Great Temple. The second phase focused on the installation of a terracotta conduit next to the original. This transition to a much cheaper and easier to replace material demonstrates the flexibility and long-term technical efficiency of Nabataean engineering. Its importance. Having found this evidence of a complex hydrological system forces historians and archaeologists to rethink the level of technological development in Petra. Beyond their famous rock-cut architecture, the Nabataeans were true masters of water. And it is no wonder, because it was necessary to have a good infrastructure capable of challenge an unforgiving desert that could condemn those cities that did not know how to evolve and adapt to the conditions where they were developing. Images | Brian Kairuz In Xataka | Archaeologists have been searching for Hannibal’s war elephants for centuries. They only had to dig in Córdoba

Two Spanish space giants have joined forces to take 5G defense satellites into space: PLD Space and Sateliot

by

Two Spanish companies they have sealed an agreement to launch new generation satellites without depending on any other foreign company. In Europe we have been with the run run of technological sovereignty. This agreement is a perfect example of this, and also a milestone for Spain if the project ends up materializing. The agreement. PLD Space, manufacturer of the Miura 5 rocket based in Elche, and Sateliot, a telecommunications satellite operator based in Barcelona, ​​have signed a contract to launch two satellites from Sateliot’s Tritó constellation aboard the Miura 5. The launch is scheduled for the last quarter of 2027, expectedly on the fourth commercial flight of the Elche rocket, and will do so from the Kourou Space Port, in French Guiana. Each satellite weighs about 160 kilos and will be launched on a dedicated mission, without sharing space with other operators. Why is it important? This agreement is presented as the first entirely Spanish private space mission, with satellites designed, manufactured and operated in the country, launched using a rocket also of Spanish origin. And the interesting thing about the project is that it would cover the entire value chain of the sector (manufacturing, launch, operations and commercial exploitation) without foreign intermediaries. Although the European Union has been trying for years reduce your dependence on operators like SpaceXthis alliance fits directly into this context. What are Tritó satellites? The Tritó constellation is a significant evolution of the current satellites that Sateliot has, weighing 15 kg and dedicated exclusively to the Internet of Things (IoT). In this case, the new Tritó have greater capacity and will combine IoT connectivity with direct device-satellite communication (D2D), including data, voice and video through 5G. Marco Guadalupi, CTO of Sateliot, counted to El Español that one of its key points is that they will be able to “establish the connection when the device is in the pocket”, being key for emergencies, natural disasters and defense applications. The risk they assume. Guadalupi does not hide that it is “a risky mission.” The Miura 5 is a new rocket, whose first launch test is scheduled for the end of this year, and its reliability has yet to be demonstrated in real flight. “We are crazy and we know what we want,” I was joking Guadalupi himself in the interview with the media. The Sateliot team claims to have visited the PLD Space integration and testing facilities on three occasions before signing. In exchange for the risk, they get something that few options on the market offer: a dedicated mission, without competing for space, and the flexibility to adapt flight conditions to their specific needs. Review. Last November, PLD Space closed financing of 169 million euros through ESA’s European Launcher Challenge, backed almost entirely by Spain, for launch contracts and improvements to the Miura 5. Sateliot, for its part, has plans to deploy up to 100 satellites in 2028 and aims to reach revenues of 1 billion euros in 2030, according to they count from Reuters. Among its shareholders is Indra, with 4% of the capital. The agreement with PLD Space also occurs while Sateliot is opening market in India. Jaume Sanpera, CEO of the company, traveled to the Asian country coinciding with the announcement, where the company already has headquarters and sees potential for a future business in which they offer connectivity in remote areas. What’s coming Before the satellites board the Miura 5, Sateliot plans to launch a prototype of the Tritó platform in mid-2027 to validate the payload. The more capable commercial satellites would be integrated into the rocket in the final stretch of that same year. Regarding the total number of satellites they hope to put into orbit, Guadalupi counted that “there will be hundreds.” Sateliot’s intention is to centralize launches to simplify logistics, and although they do not rule out other suppliers, they aim to continue working with PLD Space. Cover image | Satellite In Xataka | A new “solar system” has just been discovered. There’s just one problem: it shouldn’t exist.

Spain has been dealing with the weather in the United Kingdom for a month and a half. And that forces us to rethink how we build our roads

by

Roads closed, prohibited overtaking and new speed restrictions, landslides that are swept away by a moving car or potholes that become sinkholes with the continued passage of vehicles. The roads in Spain have suffered greatly with a month and a half in which a succession of storms has barely given any respite. But is the fault of the investments or is it that we are not prepared for this climate? Potholes, sinkholes and closed roads. We have experienced a beginning of 2026 where news of intense snowfalls and continued rains have accumulated. And that has had an impact on the way we move. In some cases, airports have been forced to stop their activitythe trains have stopped due to the wind and, on the road, we have had all kinds of problems. Videos have become popular on social networks where a string of cars suffers the consequences of a sinkhole. Or the statements of those who affirm that in the same service area they have had to rescue a good handful of cars due to blowouts as a result of the poor condition of the roads. There is information that points to all types of roads: those managed by the Statethose that are from autonomous ownership and those that are from municipal ownership. We have had complaints for everyone. An unexpected event. Beyond the money dedicated to our roads, what seems clear is that a perfect storm has occurred: roads that should be better maintained and a succession of storms for which our roads are not prepared. If we look back, in the first 40 days of the year it rained in Spain triple the average recorded between 1991 and 2020. The recorded figure not only confirms that the swamps have filledalso calls into question to what extent Spain is becoming in a rainy country. And, above all, how we can prepare for climate change with more extreme weather events, repeated more frequently and further away from the typical climate of our country. Are we prepared? The truth is that our roads are prepared for something else. In Spain, roads are based on the PG3 regulations that draws on the European guidelines. Most of them respond to the premises aimed at building roads in hot climates. In fact, the next category is for a “medium” thermal zone and the next is considered “temperate.” This is important because as I said Francisco José Lucas Ochoatechnical and business development director at Repsol in his Twitter account, some time ago, on these roads A bitumen is used that is harder and withstands high temperatures better.. In the wetter climates A softer bitumen is used, as in the United Kingdom, but this can soften and melt if it is very hot. Our disadvantage? Asphalt resists high temperatures better but is more fragile and breaks more easily. This structure on our road leaves us, in most of the country (because high mountain roads are slightly different), roads that are less permeable to the passage of water. And the main objective has never been to resist humidity, it has been to resist extreme heat and fatigue due to the passage of numerous vehicles, since Spain is the second country in Europe with the highest heavy vehicle traffic. What consequences does it have? Asphalts designed for dry climates that have to suffer constant punishment from rain and humidity are more likely to accumulate water and encourage aquaplaning. But when the absorption of water is continuousthe problems are bigger. If the soil receives a constant amount of water, there comes a point where the layers beneath the asphalt remain constantly moist. This alters its ability to distribute loads, which is essential when you have a more rigid or less elastic asphalt like ours. This limited distribution of loads favors the fracture of the upper layer, generating potholes that end up becoming sinkholes both due to the action of the vehicles themselves and the punishment inflicted by the constant fall of water, further delving into the depth of the hole that is exposed. In addition, the useful life of asphalt is limited. Where it doesn’t rain and where it does rain. The added problem is that this train of storms has left a lot of rain where the roads are directly designed to withstand intense vehicle traffic circulating in a dry and hot climate. Andalusia and Extremadura have faced rains typical of Cantabria but, curiously, in Cantabria it has barely rained. In United Kingdomwhere the problem of water on the road is a constant, the construction of roads plays with the porosity of the asphalt, with the aim of making the soil capable of absorbing as much water as possible. A technique that is applied to the surface itself but in which the ditches are also taken into account so that the accumulated water does not infiltrate and, as we said, change the ideal load distribution. This type of asphalt is limited in Spain to very specific areaswith limited traffic and low risk of snow and smelt. In cold and humid climatesFor example, they have to deal with asphalt that is also more rigid but without losing sight of the accumulation of water. There the problem is not so much the latter as it is the formation of ice and the passage of vehicles equipped with studded tires on depending on which roads. If the road were as porous as in the United Kingdom, water would accumulate in the small gaps in the road surface and freeze, turning the road into a skating rink. Is there a solution? Yes and it seems to be underway. From 2021the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works (CEDEX) coordinates the Transversal Working Group on Climate Change and Resilience in Roads. This group is analyzing the current situation of Spanish roads and infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels or aqueducts and what investments must be made to adapt them to the new meteorological reality of our country. Furthermore, in collaboration with CEDEX … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.