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

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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

To no one’s surprise, the fanciful tunnel that aspires to join the Strait of Gibraltar under the sea will not be ready by 20230

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The idea of ​​connecting Europe and Africa with a direct channel that allows us to do without ships and planes is so attractive, so damn sexy, that it takes more than a century warming the imagination of engineers. The same time they have been seeing the Strait of Gibraltar as the ideal point for a Spain-Morocco tunnel. After decades of idling, in recent years the project seemed gain momentumat least as far as the political sphere and the public interest. A few months ago even transcended that one of the leading companies in tunnel boring machines sees the infrastructure as technically viable. He hype around the tunnel it grew so much (and so strong) that there were those who trusted that the 2030 Soccer World Cupcelebrated mainly in Spain, Morocco and Portugal, it would serve you of ultimate lever. They were even read headlines that suggested that it would be executed with a view to 2030. To no one’s surprise, everything indicates that it won’t be like that. Strait Slopes. About a century ago, around 1929engineer Fernando Gallego Herrera a question was asked: Why not ‘suture’ the gap between Europe and Africa with an underwater tunnel in the Strait of Gibraltar? He was not the first to consider the issue, but he did so with a seriousness, a degree of technical level and a vocation, which gave visibility to the approach. Since then the idea of ​​creating a megastructure that allows Spain and Morocco to ‘touch each other’ has continued with comings and goings on the table. And not only on a theoretical level. The idea of ​​establishing a “fixed link” between Spain and Morocco even led to the creation of two entities: SECEGSAon the Spanish side, and the Societé Nationale d’Etudes du Detroit (SNED) on the Moroccan side. In recent years, the project has also attracted headlines that echoed the degree of political commitmentthe investment in studieshis time horizon and even his technical feasibilitya key aspect considering that we are talking about a structure of several dozens of kilometers in a difficult geological area. A small (big) step. In 2024 the project gave one step forwarde that (although very initial) was revealing. At the request of SECGSA, INECO commissioned a study for the “cross-strait fixed link project”. Its objective was basically to analyze “the feasibility” of excavations in the area, especially in the most critical points, such as the Camarinal Threshold that separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic basins. The task fell to a famous company in the sector: Herrenknechta leading German firm in the world of tunnel boring machines related, among other works, to the Brenner Tunnel or that of Saint Gotthard. Viable yes, although not cheap. The conclusions of their analysis have been known in recent months. First in October Populi Voice revealed that the German firm has confirmed that, although extremely complex, the Spain-Morocco pipeline would be viable from a technical point of view. The same media reported that the purpose of Spain and Portugal would be to decide in 2027 whether or not to tender an exploratory tunnel and provided a provisional calendar: just shaping the reconnaissance gallery would require between six and nine years. Regarding the cost of infrastructure, slid that the base bidding budget of the Spanish side would exceed 8.5 billion euros, a figure that includes everything from the base gallery to the tunnels, the terminal and other facilities. The sum is considerable but there is talk of diversifying its origin, including everything from community funds to formulas (concessions, fees) inspired by other megaprojects, such as the Eurotunnel wave Figueras-Perpignan line. Has there been more progress? It seems so. Although again in an initial phase still. At the end of November Populi Voice revealed again that, after the technical endorsement of Herrenknecht, SECEGSA entrusted INECO to complete the updating of the preliminary project of the structure. A deadline was even included: summer 2026. Around the same time, the Government of Spain and Morocco held a summit in Moncloa during which a memorandum was signed to “promote scientific cooperation in the study of seismicity and geodynamics in the Strait area.” In the statement released by Transport there is no mention of the tunnel, but there were those who saw in the agreement a positive nod for infrastructure. Question of deadlines. The tunnel is not only interested in its technical details and cost. Another key aspect is your calendar. Especially since already in the autumn, when the first touches of Herrenknecht’s analysis became known, slipped that the first progress of the project could arrive by 2030, the year of the Soccer World Cup in which Spain and Morocco participate as host countries. The coincidence of dates made it create expectation about how the Cup could influence the project and even if it would act as a stimulus for the subway. It was even raised if I could arrive on time. In recent days those expectations have received a jug of cold water. One more and unsurprisingIn fact. Why’s that? Because 2030 is four years away. And that is a ridiculously short time for a work that, beyond being viable on a technical and logistical level, is more than notable in complexity. First for its ambition and dimensions (more than 40 kmbetween the underwater and terrestrial section). Second because it must be developed in an area highly conditioned by its geology. Although there may be some progress towards 2030, Populi Voice mentioned in October sources close to the project that pointed to 2035-2040 as a “more realistic horizon” to see significant milestones. The idea would be to have gallery design recognition in June to put out to tender the infrastructure starting in 2027. As a reference, the construction of the Eurotunnel (50 kilometers) required some seven years (from 1988 to 19949 and Saint Gotthard (57 km) around 17. Moderating expectation. In recent weeks (and days) media like Huffington Post The reason either ACE They have echoed, citing the technical feasibility study, that the tunnel between … Read more

join Navarra and Catalonia by highway

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The Ministry of Transport has tendered for 153.6 million euros the Jaca bypass, the last major political and technical obstacle to completing the highway connection between Pamplona and the corridor towards Catalonia. With this work unblocked after years of neighborhood opposition, Aragon is about to complete its alternative route to the Ebro through the Pyrenees. Why it is important. For decades, the Jaca variant has been the most complicated link in this infrastructure. Much of the municipality was opposed to the project due to the works, noise and associated inconvenience, not without reason. In this aspect, its tender represents having removed the legal and social obstacle that was holding back the project. From now on, it’s all about building. Connections. The variant consists of a new 8 kilometer stretch which will bypass the city of Jaca and connect the A-21 (Pyrenees highway) with the A-23 (Mudéjar highway). This section will divert the medium and long-distance traffic that currently crosses the N-330a and N-240 highways through the center of Jaca, where the speed is limited to 50 km/h and there are numerous intersections and pedestrian crossings. Image: Ministry of Transport In detail. The work contemplate two roads with two lanes separated by a median of variable width, three main interchanges (Jaca East, North and West), three viaducts, five overpasses and a 200-meter false tunnel in the hospital area. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project includes environmental integration measures such as the revegetation of slopes, correction of the barrier effect with special attention to the Camino de Santiago, hunting fencing to prevent access by fauna and protection against noise pollution. The fitting of the puzzle. With the Jaca variant tendered, Aragón has practically resolved its Pyrenean corridor. In the coming months, the 8.7 kilometers that link Sabiñánigo Este with Sabiñánigo Oeste will be inaugurated, and in 2026 they should open another 11 kilometers between Lanave and Sabiñánigo. Only a section of about 12 kilometers will remain pending between Puente de la Reina in Jaca and the A-21 in Navarra, for which the drafting of the project has already been awarded, although the works will not begin before 2030, according to they count from 20 Minutes. Between the lines. This axis formed by the A-21, A-23 and A-22 (Huesca-Lleida) will become a strategic alternative to the Ebro corridorwhich is usually saturated along the route between Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. In this sense, the project will aim to improve the territorial structure of Aragon and reduce the pressure on other roads at critical times, such as ski season weekends or holiday long weekends, which are times when kilometer delays are usually recorded in the area. And now what. The execution time for the Jaca variant will depend on the award and the pace of work, but the fact that there is already a tender is a relief for all those who were looking for such a connection. After completing this section and the rest that remain pending in the Sabiñánigo area, the Aragonese Pyrenean project will practically materialize, waiting only for the link with Navarra. Cover image | Ministry of Transport In Xataka | This interactive map prepares you for your next flight: it shows if there will be turbulence and how intense it will be before takeoff

Amazon is preparing an investment of 10 billion in OpenAI because if you can’t beat your enemy, the best thing is to join him

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Leonidas, had six-pack or not, he died at Thermopylae, but what is curious for our history is exactly what happened afterwards. Xerxes’ Persians had devastated Attica, and faced with the threat that all of Greece would fall, the Spartans—who deeply distrusted the Athenians—agreed to join forces with them. War makes strange allies, they say, and this story is not even close to explaining what is happening with AI. Everyone is joining forces. Then I’ll tell you how it ended with the Spartans and the Athenians. what has happened. OpenAI is negotiating an alliance with Amazon according to which the latter would invest around $10 billion in OpenAI. In The Information They were the first to reveal that negotiation, now confirmed by sources close to the conversations that have been cited on CNBC. What do each other gain?. Thanks to this agreement, Amazon will sell OpenAI its Tranium chips and will also rent more computing capacity in its data centers so that OpenAI can further expand the execution of its AI models and services such as ChatGPT. What OpenAI gains is, once again, economic resources to continue growing. Or what is the same: money to burn on that bonfire that AI has become. A strange agreement. The alliance is surprising, especially considering that Amazon had already put its eggs in another basket. Specifically, Anthropic, OpenAI’s absolute rival in the AI ​​race. It is estimated that Amazon has invested a total of 8 billion dollars at Anthropic, but now there is another reality: that everyone invests in everyone. Anthropic, the best example. The truth is that in recent months we have seen more and more circular financing agreements. Microsoft, which had invested 13 billion dollars, announced last month that would invest $5 billion in Anthropic, and NVIDIA also signed up, doubling that amount: it will invest $10 billion in it. And already, Even Google has teamed up with Anthropic. Long live circular financing. But of course the main protagonist of these agreements is OpenAI, which has been receiving blank checks (or almost) from giants like NVIDIA —100,000 million-, with Broadcom or with amd. We are facing a gigantic house of cards which is in danger of collapsing. But while it doesn’t, players continue adding floors. Or what is the same, money. Win-Win? The agreement is certainly interesting for Amazon, which has been working on its own AI chips since 2015. Trainium are the latest expression of that effort, and the fact that OpenAI is going to use them to train its models—along with those of its competitors, for the record—is good support for that development. In fact, there was perhaps more interesting support recently for those chips: Apple’s. And of course, AWS. In reality, this agreement is a continuation of that (temporary?) love affair between Amazon and OpenAI. The latter, once its ties with Microsoft were released, began to look for new girlfriends in the field of infrastructure, and a little over a month ago announced an agreement with Amazon Web Services worth 38 billion dollars. This is about preservation. All these agreements between big technology companies are not about money, because these circular investments are nothing more than exchanges of kind that compensate each other. What they are about is being stronger and protecting themselves. And if they fall, yes, they will all fall together. Let’s go back to Greece. The alliance between Sparta and Greece crystallized in the naval battle of Salamis (also in 480 BC, shortly after Thermopylae), one of the most important in human history. Sparta reluctantly ceded naval command to Athens, but the strategy worked. That union of forces achieved a decisive victory that saved Greece from being conquered by Persia. Alliances that end as they end. After that battle and that of Plataea a year later, the alliance began to deteriorate and ended up breaking up. Athens and Sparta were enemies again. In fact, 50 years later (430 BC) both would face each other for more than a quarter of a century in the Peloponnesian War. It was totally logical, as it will be that all these alliances end as they should: with each company going about its own thing. Image | OpenAI In Xataka | NVIDIA and OpenAI have just made a masterstroke. One that strengthens them and weakens everyone else

99% of the Internet travels through submarine cables. Now there is a much more ambitious plan in progress: join the electricity grid

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At first glance, the seas are an empty landscape. Under its waters, the image is another, through it a network of invisible highways that already support our day to day: the submarine cables that carry the 99% of world communications. Now, a new generation of electrical interconnectors – thousands of kilometers and gigavatio power – aspires to bring sun, wind and hydraulic where they are missing, when they are missing. The promise is simple: that electricity travels with the sun and wind through schedules; The execution, not so much. The starting point: The North Sea. The United Kingdom and Denmark premiered at the end of 2023 the Viking Link, a 765 km cable that crosses the North Sea and allows you to import electricity when wind is missing on the island and export when left over. It is the longest interconnector in the world in operation, but, as Financial Times warned: “It may not be for a long time.” The British media report details That on the horizon there are much more ambitious plans: join Canada with the United Kingdom and Ireland through a 4,000 km cable, link Morocco with Europe or export Australian solar energy to Singapore through more than 4,300 km of submarine cable. Through the cables. This new megaproject makes it clear that countries have been pursuing a connection with renewables for some time, because there is a mismatch between production and consumption, and we must solve it. The most illustrative example is AapowerLink in Australia. The Suncable company plans to install 3 GW from Solar in the northern territory, store part in batteries and sell it both to Darwin and Singapore, through an underwater cable of more than 4,000 km. In the words of his CEO, Ryan Willemsen-Bell, collected by Financial Times: “Australia has abundant land and sun. The ability to share those benefits with our neighbors has enormous potential.” In parallel, the North Atlantic Transmission One Link seeks to connect the Canadian hydroelectric plant with Europe. The time differential is its great asset: when Canada sleeps, the United Kingdom starts the day; When in the North Sea, wind blows at midnight, New York is preparing dinner. A lesson from the Internet. The idea may sound futuristic, but there are already solid precedents. As we have underlined Xatakathe entire planet is furrowed by submarine data cables, authentic digital highways that have demonstrated the viability of infrastructure of tens of thousands of kilometers. The Southern Cross Cable Network, 30,500 km, connects Australia, New Zealand and the United States since 2000. The newly opened 2Africa, 45,000 km, surrounds the African continent and reaches Barcelona and India. And in Spain, cables such as tide (6,605 km, Meta and Microsoft) or Grace Hopper (7,191 km, from Google) link Bilbao with the east coast of the US. The experience of these data networks provides an obvious parallelism: if we already move information on a global scale, why not also clean energy? Although not everything is so easy. From Financial Times alert a tensioning supply chain: The manufacture of cables, transformers and converting stations does not supply. The waiting deadlines are lengthened, and the availability of specialized ships to tend cable is limited. To that are added political risks. In Norway, the export of electricity to its neighbors has triggered the internal debate on prices. In the United Kingdom, the Government rejected this year to support the X-Links project to bring energy from Morocco, claiming “high level of inherent risk”. And with the ongoing Ukraine War, the threat of sabotages to critical infrastructure It is a fact. Looking inside. In the Spanish case, the problem is more domestic than international. As we have explained in Xatakathe country has run more than anyone to lift renewables in the “emptied Spain”, but has not deployed the cables to bring that electricity to the cities. The result is a “broken bridge”: at noon there are plenty of cheap megawatts that are cut or sell at zero price, and at night the network needs gas support, more expensive the market. According to data from the AELēC employer, 83.4% of connection knots are already saturated, which prevents hooking new consumptions such as industries, data centers or electrolyiners. The challenge, in short, is not to plan and reinforce the networks; as well as improve interdependence with other countries to break With the French bottleneck. A map of interdependencies. Beyond the technical and economic, these electric highways draw a new geopolitical map. Just as pipelines and gas pipelines marked the twentieth century, renewable interconnections can define alliances and dependencies in the XXI. The engineer Simon Ludlam, co-founder of the Canada-UK project, summed it up in Financial Times: “The most important nuclear reactor is in heaven, and its energy can be shared thanks to the rotation of the earth. But we need to be interconnected.” The sun that shines in the Australian desert or the water that falls in Canada could light, in a matter of seconds, the lights of cities to thousands of kilometers. The energy transition not only depends on producing renewables, but also on learning to move them. If the pipelines defined the petroleum geopolitics, the electric highways can become the invisible arteries of the coming world. Image | Unspash and What’s Inside Xataka | The Google Maps of submarine cables: an imposing interactive map that allows us to know the skeleton of the modern world

One Piece and Lego® join their paths with spectacular sets: they are already available

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LEGO® has sets for all tastes. The Danish brand is gradually adding news to its catalog, but few usually make as much noise and the one that has released today, July 1. We refer to the new One Piece setsone of the best known sleeves and anime that, in this case, are based on the live action that can be seen in Netflix. It is a great opportunity for Luffy and Company lovers, since they can now enjoy both riding and exhibiting these sets at home. Are the following: LEGO® Going Merrythe well -known and dear pirate ship of Luffy’s crew, by 129.99 euros. LEGO® Cabaña del Pueblo Molinoa smaller set that includes Luffy and Shanks, for 29.99 euros. LEGO® Buggy Circus Tent the clownwith this character as maximum protagonist, for 49.99 euros. LEGO® Battle in Arlong Parkone of the most important clashes of the principle of Luffy’s adventure, by 79.99 euros. LEGO® Baratie floating restaurantthe biggest set of this collaboration with One Piece, for 299.99 euros. Lego® Going Merry The first set we have in hand is the Going Merry, a pirate ship that does not lack detail, since it includes even the kitchen. Includes minifigures of several characters and four posters of ‘are sought’ among which are Buggy, Mihawk or Luffy himself. It comes out by 129.99 euros. * Some price may have changed from the last review LEGO® Cabaña del Pueblo Molino The most economical set of this collaboration is with this cabin of Pueblo Molino, the village from which Luffy’s adventure starts. Despite being small, it is composed of 299 pieces, it also includes several minifigures (including Shanks) and a ‘Search’ poster. Costs 29.99 euros. Cabaña del Pueblo Molino * Some price may have changed from the last review LEGO® Buggy Circus Tent the clown We have a very funny set with this buggy tent, one of the first enemies facing Luffy. In it there are three gadgets of which the protagonists of this adventure will have to escape. 573 pieces make up and leave for 49.99 euros. Buggy Circus Tent the clown * Some price may have changed from the last review LEGO® Battle in Arlong Park This set is starring the pagoda where Luffy and Arlong fight, a fight that fans of this eiichiro manga ode we remember with love. Luffy’s arms can be stretched and, of course, we can destroy the page as in combat. Costs 79.99 euros. * Some price may have changed from the last review LEGO® Baratie floating restaurant We close with the biggest set that includes this collaboration of One Piece. This is the Baratie, the restaurant ship where Sanji appears for the first time. It includes 10 different minifigures and is loaded with details thanks to the more than 3,400 pieces it includes. Costs 299.99 euros. Baratie floating restaurant * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | LEGO® In Xataka | Your favorite series, comics and movies also in Lego: 15 ideal construction kits to mount yourself or give away In Xataka | Lego constructions to another level: the Technic series has the models with which any collector would dream

make shareholders join with him

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As part of its compensation and incentive To improve your managementthe CEO of the big companies usually receive Bonds by objectives. Elon Musk has had to pass several times By courts to collect His Milmillonario Bono of Tesla after far exceeding all the objectives that the shareholders put in 2018. Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair is about to achieve his of 100 million euros that Ryanair promised him. The Ryanair CEO justified its compensation compared to other high -performance industries: “I think we are providing a remarkable value for Ryanair’s shareholders at a time when the Premier League soccer players and trainers earn between 20 and 25 million euros per year,” published The British The Telegraph. The announcement of this achievement by the CEO occurs just when the company He faces a labor conflict with part of the template to which claims the return from your salary. A millionaire dividend According to collected BloombergO’Leary’s bonus was agreed in 2019 and extended after the renewal of his contract in 2022 for five and a half years. However, the collection of this bonus is not automatic. O’Leary can only access 100 million euros if Ryanair’s shares remain above the 21 euros for at least 28 days consecutive natural. According to data of The Telegraph and Expansionthe actions of the airline have been maintained above that threshold since last May 2, thus accumulating 27 days in a row above the limit, so the objective could already be reached. This condition had never been fulfilled for so long, since the previous contribution record was only five days in March 2024. O’Leary has been prudent about the imminence of payment, pointing out that “many things can happen until the objective is completed.” However, rather than not achieving the objective of contributions from his shares, the manager is cautious because the payment of the bonus It will not be effective until 2028and only if the CEO continues to lead the company until that date, according to the terms of its contract. O’Leary’s key: repurchase actions The good behavior of the company’s actions has occurred even though Ryanair record A decrease of 16% for its annual benefit with respect to the results of the previous year, reaching 1,610 million euros. This result is partly due to a cunning operation of shares repurchase worth 750 million euros that the company raised in mid -2024. That repurchase has reinforced the value of the shares making it a more profitable asset for its shareholders. According The information of ForbesMichael O’Leary’s personal fortune is estimated at some 1.1 billion dollars. That heritage places it as one of the richest people in Ireland and is characterized by having an extravagant character and not hesitating to apply measures that walk to the edge of the razor in order to get yours. Something that also applies in airline policies. In Xataka | Ryanair has spent a year selling so cheap that now his passengers will suffer the consequences: expensive tickets in 2025 Image | Ryanair, Wikimedia Commons (World Travel & Tourism Council)

Only three countries have launched human beings to space. A room is about to join the club: India

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The last great spatial power is preparing to register its name in one of the most exclusive clubs of humanity: that of nations capable of sending astronauts to space by their own means. Until now, only the United States, Russia (heiress of the Soviet Union) and China hold that honor. But India and its ambitious Gaganyaan program are knocking on the door. In two years. Announced in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the aim of launching in 2022, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence, the Gaganyaan program accumulates several delays. However, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has stepped on the accelerator, confirming that, although the first manned mission is postponed in early 2027, preparations advance at a good pace. The road map. Isro prepares three unmanned orbital missions of the Gaganyaan ship before starting to launch astronauts, According to Eureka. The first is called G1 and is scheduled for the last quarter of 2025. The Vyommitra humanoid robot will carry on board, loaded with sensors to prepare manned flights. The G2 and G3 missions will be followed in 2026, also with Vyommitra. And, if everything is going as planned, Mission H1, the first manned, will take off in the first quarter of 2027 aboard the HLVM3 rocket (a version of the LVM3 adapted for manned flights), followed by the H2 mission. Astronauts. India has already designated four astronauts for these historical missions: the pilots of the Indian Air Force Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Angad Pratap and Shubhanshu Shukla, who will previously fly to the International Space Station in the Axiom 4 mission aboard a Spacex ship. Everyone has formed as astronauts in Russia and, one of them, Shubhanshu Shukla, will have a previous experience this one before, when it flies to the International Space Station aboard a Crew Dragon ship as part of the commercial mission Axiom 4. Ambitious plans. Indian ambitions do not end with putting astronauts in orbit. After the first two manned missions, a fourth unmanned mission of Gaganyaan, the G4, will be attached to the US segment of the International Space Station with an coupling system compatible with the NASA standard. Will serve as proof of concept to put the orbit the first module of the Indian Space Station Bharatiya Antarksha Station (BAS), whose first module would be launched in 2028 in an orbit similar to ISS. The first load mission to BAS, the G5, is scheduled for 2029. BAS has the objective of establishing a permanent presence of Indians in low orbit, adding to China, which has its own space station, and the ISS member countries, which will be abandoned in 2030. The next step will be to put an Indian astronaut on the lunar surface by 2040. For this, Isro is developing a new generation rocket propelled by methane, the NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle), which will have a version capable of placing 70 tons in low orbit. Image | Isro In Xataka | India is crowned in space history: it manages to land near the South Pole of the Moon days after the Russian failure

China is getting closer to overcoming NASA in its Martian mission. And just invited other countries to join

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Mars Return’s drama. Since I arrived in Mars in 2021, NASA’s Perseverance Rover has been depositing Roca nuclei and Marciano Regolito in hermetic tubes dispersed by the red planet for your future collection. Mars Sample Return is NASA’s mission and the European Space Agency to recover those samples (38 tubes in total) and bring them to Earth. Last year, with a forecast of delays in sample return up to 2039 and an estimated budget of between 7,700 and 11,000 million dollars, NASA de facto canceled Mars Sample Return to control the cost overheads. The agency listened to alternative proposals and, at the beginning of 2025, delayed the decision for a year to Choose between two options: An internal architecture of the NASA JPL laboratory or a commercial ship of the private industry. China has taken the lead. With Mars Sample Return in suspense, China has many ballots to Become the first country to bring Martian soil samples. The launch of the Chinese mission Tianwen-3 is scheduled for 2028after Tianwen-2 launches up to an asteroid near Earth this year as proof of previous technological concept. Tianwen-3 is a simpler mission that Mars Sample Return because it would collect the samples of the landing place, instead of the carefully selected rock nuclei in different places by the Rover Perseverance. However, it has the same objectives as the NASA mission: analyze samples on Earth in search of organic substances and “biosignuras”, signs of past life. Tianwen-3 opens to other countries. The China Space Agency (CNSA) also announced that its sampling recovery mission will be open to international cooperation. Scientists and space agencies around the world can propose until June 30 scientific experiments or instruments to include in the Chinese mission. Tianwen-3 will carry 15 kg of foreign instruments on the ship that will return to the Earth with the samples and 5 kg of additional foreign instruments in the orbiter that will remain in Martian orbit. It could be the case that the European Space Agency, which already participated in Mars Sample Return with the return ship, made a proposal and ended up advancing NASA in this way. Multimillionaires to the rescue. Meanwhile, in the United States, Spacex and Blue Origin have proposed NASA to take advantage of the same ships they have in development for Artemis lunar missions (Starship and Blue Moon) with the aim of recovering Mars samples. However, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have already received numerous public contracts, and a third millionaire, Peter Beck, CEO of the Rocket Lab’s rocket company, It has a more concrete and simple proposal. A solution of 4,000 million dollars with simple technology to bring the samples in 2031, the same year as the Chinese nave Tianwen-3 would return to the earth. Rocket Lab architecture. Three launches in total for all ships of the mission. The orbiter Mars Telecommunications Orbiter would facilitate communication between Mars and Earth. The Lander Lander Lander lands would land on the surface of Mars to collect the samples with the same supersonic aerocies and parachutes that the Martian Rovers use. The Mars Ascent Vehicle, designed as a single rocket stage, would take off towards the Martian orbit with chemical propulsion Using Electron Rutherford engines from Rocket Lab. The Earth Return Orbiter ship would collect the samples in the Martian orbit to bring them back to the earth using similar engines. The three goals of the space race. Decide what NASA decides, China is determined to take advantage of the delays of Mars Sample Return to get the symbolic victory of bringing the first samples of Mars, as has already happened with the Chang’e-6 mission and the first samples of the hidden face of the moon. At the same time, there are two other goals in the space race. The United States announced to hype and saucer that would take the first woman to the moon with the Artemis III mission (planned by 2027), but its launch has been delayed and now the architecture of every Artemis program, as well as that of Mars Sampple Return, It is in question for the numerous cost overruns of the SLS rocket and Starship’s delays. China, meanwhile, plans to reach the moon in 2030. Then, both countries will try to take the first humans to Mars. Image | POT In Xataka | NASA had marked two major short -term objectives. China threatens to defeat her in both

Two villages in Cantabria want to join through a new road. They have encountered an obstacle: the bear

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On paper the project of the Reinosa-Potes road It is ‘alone’ that: the project of a new road between two Cantabrian regions, an infrastructure not excessively long (14 or 20 kmdepending on the option that is chosen) that would mobilize about 100 million euros in investment. That on paper. In practice the idea has generated a considerable debate In Cantabria in which two other hot issues are played in The region Spain: the Tourist and the complex balance in protection of the brown bear. The debate is served. What happened? That in the Cantabrian policy an old project recovered by the PP government is gaining prominence: the Potes-Reinosa road, a vial of some 14 or 20 kilometers (depending on the alternative that is chosen) that I would unite the regions of Campoo and Liebana crossing the heart of the Cantabrian mountain range. The idea is not new. He already tried to get ahead in the 90s, at the time of the president Juan Hormaecheaalthough its origins can go back further, at the end of the Decade of 1960. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Why is it important? Because, beyond its extension, technical characteristics or budget, estimated among the 90 and 100 million eurosthe Potes-Reinosa road project has implications that play some of the most relevant songs of Cantabrian (and Spanish) news: Touristintegration and environmental conservation, directly affecting, according to their detractors, the efforts to recover the brown bear in the region. And what is the reason? That the road (a new section from the CA-183 and the PK 20 of the CA-184 endowed with two lanes of 3.5 meters) would pass through the heart of the Cantabrian mountain range. And so, They warn their detractorsit would have an environmental impact of draft. “The northern slope of the Sierra del Cordel and the Sierra de Híjar, both included in the Special Conservation Zone (ZEC) ‘Altos del Nansa and Saja and Alto Campoo’ would A manifesto that exceeds 1,900 signatures and has the support of at least 200 experts. In The documentpromoted by Cantabrist and individuals, including scientists and researchers of ecology, zoology, geography and hydraulic, the reasons why they reject the new road are used. But above all there is one of weight: its impact on habitats and species that seeks to protect precisely the ZEC zone declaration. “It would not only endanger valuable mountain ecosystems, but would go against the conservation commitments of Spain.” And what do the bears have to do? That is another of the weight arguments put in The manifestoin which in addition to warning that the new road “would fragment” habitats, “would alter” ecological corridors and vehicle traffic would generate noise and light pollution, warn of the impact that it would have in particular on the populations of bears. “The road crosses the areas delimited by the Pardo Bear Recovery Plan in Cantabria,” ditch. “These areas have been specifically designated for the protection and recovery of an endangered species, whose habitat is already seriously fragmented,” The manifesto wields Before pointing out that the works could lead to sanctions and challenges. In the event that the project is carried out and the works are terminated, Cantabristas points the risk of bear abuses. Why is it interesting? The warning connects with the debate about the recovery of the bear in the Peninsular North. After being almost convicted of The disappearance for the harassment of the poachers and the deterioration of their habitat, the bear populations in the Cantabrian mountain range and other parts of the country They have increased In recent years, which in turn has had multiple derivatives. In Asturias or León there are ranchers, Farmers and neighbors that They warn Of their negative impact, while in Somiedo, Asturias, they have seen in the populations of bears A powerful tourist reef that attracts every summer to thousands of visitors who aspire to see copies in freedom in the Cantabrian mountain range. Now in Cantabria they warn of the damage that would cause the noise and traffic of the new road in the behavior of the bears and their mating. “It would be incompatible with the conservation objectives”, They need. A tourist road? The project touches another of the hottest issues in Cantabria: the risk of tourist massification, which He has already taken Thousands of neighbors to the street shouted from “We do not want to be the Ibiza del Norte”. He manifest Remember that Liébana and Campoo, the regions that would connect the vial, are “two widely tourist areas” and questions the real objective of the project, taking into account that both populations are already “connected through other routes of the road network.” “At a time when sustainability and conservation must be priorities, and in a context of accelerated climate change and global biodiversity crisis, this type of macroprojects that serve only to massify tourism go in the opposite direction,” They add The detractors. As a Cantabrist complaint even deployed a banner close to 30 meters In Peña Labra in which “our mountains defend themselves.” And why are you worried? In An interview With eldiario.es, the mayor of Potes María José Bustamante (PSOE) pointed in the same direction: “We understand that the enormous environmental cost or should or should be assumed because the only mobile we find to have launched this pharaonic project is none other than the tourist, and that is what we are already served in Liébana.” Over the last months the region has reached take action To limit the influx of visitors at certain iconic points, such as the Cabezón de la Sal or the Lighthouse of the Horse of Santoña. Are all criticism? No. The Government of Cantabria defend The importance of the project and questions that actions such as Cantabristas really represent the feeling of the inhabitants of the region. His Development Councilor, Roberto Media, also insists that the infrastructure is “of first necessity for many” Cantabrians, not a work designed for tourists. Moreover, the leader warns that … Read more

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