space

The earth does not have as much space as we believed

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For years, the carbon capture and storage (CAC or CCS) has been One of the great technological promises in the Fight against climate change. The idea is simple: if we can’t stop issuing co₂, It can be captured from the air and bury it safely in deep geological formations. But this ‘plan B’ is beginning to lose meaning. What was thought. We have always taken for granted that the ‘warehouse’ we had had in mind was practically infinite to store all what we would like. Estimates talked about A capacity of between 10,000 and 40,000 gigatons of CO₂that would allow us to ‘live’ calm without having to reduce our emissions overnight. What is the problem. A new and devastating study Made by an international team of scientists, everyone has come to give us all: the warehouse is much smaller and has very strict conditions when using it. The new figure, which the authors have defined as a ‘prudent planetary limit’ is 1,460 gigatons of CO₂. This is almost an order of magnitude lower than the most optimistic estimates that were on the table. It is like discovering that the hard drive that was believed to be 40 terabytes, actually only has 1.5 tenderlast of useful storage. How they know. To reach this conclusion, the researchers did not limit themselves to calculating the total volume of The sedimentary basins of the planet. Instead, they did what no one had done on this scale: apply a series of risk and exclusion filters based on prudence and damage prevention. They created the most detailed map to the date where the CO₂ should not be stored. “Peros” that reduce capacity. In the investigation, experts pointed to different reasons to be able to remove storage capacity to our planet. These can be summarized at the following points: Seismic risk: All areas with moderate or high seismic activity have been ruled out, since injecting High pressure here can reactivate geological failures that cause earthquakes. Protected and Polar Areas: Attending to international agreements such as Kunming-Montreal, all natural parks, biosphere reserves and environmentally sensitive areas are excluded. Cercanías to the cities: to protect human health and avoid contamination of aquifers, an exclusion zone of 25 km around urban areas was established, since a CO₂ leak could acidify drinking water. Ocean depth: current offshore extraction technology is concentrated in relatively shallow waters. The study establishes a practical limit of 300 meters in marine depth, since going further shoots costs and risks, as the Deepwater Horizon disaster recalled. International borders: storing carbon under the territory of another country is a legal and political mines field. The study assumes that cross -border accounts would be, in practice, very difficult to use without complexes and, today, non -existent international agreements. A finite and precious resource. The main conclusion reached by the study is that geological storage is not unlimited. It is a finite resource, Like oil or lithium, and must be managed with an intergenerational vision. It is, as the authors say, a “savings account” that belongs to this and the future generations. Right now it is used to mitigate current emissions and continue to burn fossil fuels, and also reverse global warming, since when storing this gas the objective is to lower the temperature of the planet in general. But the conflict is evident: each ton we use today for the first objective is a ton less than future generations will have for their time. There is a limit. Perhaps the most shocking data of the study is this: if we dedicate the totality of this prudent limit of 1,460 gigatons exclusively to eliminate carbon from the atmosphere, we could only reduce the global temperature by a maximum of 0.7 ºC. This puts a very real stop to the popular ‘overshoot’ strategies that trust that We can exceed 1.5 ° C limit and then ‘cool’ the planet with mass capture technologies. This study tells us that our ability to back down is, at best, very limited. The urgency of reducing emissions is multiplied. If we cannot rely on a massive cleanliness, the only safe way to reduce emissions drastically and urgently, we have a problem. The study shows that, to the current rhythm, many climatic scenarios would exhaust this storage budget before the year 2200, leaving future generations without tools to manage the climate. Rich and poor in storage. The analysis also reveals a new geopolitical panorama with clear ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in this race. Winners are countries such as Russia, the United States, China, Brazil and Australia that retain great alonance potential even after applying all risk filters. At the other extremes we have the countries ‘poor in storage’ such as those belonging to the European, Indian or Norway Union, which see their potential drastically reduced. This means that, to meet their objectives, they could have to depend on other countries to store the captured CO₂, creating new economic and logistics units. A blow of reality. This study does not mean that carbon capture is useless. It will continue to be a crucial technology to decarbonize industries such as cement or steel. Which means that it is not the panacea that some expected. It is not an excuse to delay climatic action. It is a forceful reminder that there are no magical technological solutions that exempt us from the hardest and urgent task: stop emitting greenhouse gases. Images | Peter Burdon In Xataka | I have measured the CO2 of my office for weeks. And now religiously vento every hour and a half

It is not that China seriously in the Pacific, is that the space has revealed the size of a vertiginous naval domain

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The satellite images From the rehearsals in Changjing, near Beijing, they are showing the magnitude of what China prepares for The military parade of September 3: an exhibition that coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of the war against Japan and that is emerging as a demonstration of naval and strategic power directed against the United States and its allies. Because China goes very seriously If we expand the focus. A missile showcase to deter. They counted the Insider analysts that among the images include the presence of mobile systems, advanced drones and, above all, a complete line of Antibheque missiles that It covers from Furtive subsonic models to hypersonic projectiles of great maneuverability, conceived to deny the access of the US Navy to the Western Pacific. Among the systems: The YJ-18Csubsonic and stealthy missile, The YJ-15Ramjet propulsion and supersonic speed, and The YJ-21capable of launching from ships or aircraft with hypersonic capacity against whites in motion. An even more advanced projectile would be added to them, The YJ-19of hypersonic planning superior to Mach 10. This missile deployment, which covers all possible categories, far exceeds what is necessary to face the Taiwanese navy and directly points to US and allied forces in the region, reinforcing the Power perception capable of controlling nearby seas. Unmanned platforms. Next to the missiles, the parade will include unmanned war systems. In the preparation zone, combat drones have been observed as The GJ-11 and the GJ-2as well as vehicles designed to transport naval surface drones. One of the most striking elements is the appearance of a small submarine drone to the Russian Poseidonpossibly destined for long -range oceanic surveillance or even attack missions. Although it is not clear if it is nuclear or if it can carry eyebrows, its mere presence indicates that Beijing explores the strategic weapons path unconventional In the maritime domain. The image of the place of the parade, taken on August 25, shows the complete extension of the vehicles parked in the testing place ICBM, missiles and scope. The deployment is not limited to the naval stage. In another section of the enclosure, at least 16 vehicles are appreciated carrying what would be intercontinental ballistic missiles Dongfeng-41solid fuel and with a range of up to 15,000 kilometers, capable of carrying multiple nuclear heads. They could also present land attack cruise missiles such as The DF-100designed to achieve targets at great distance at supersonic speed. With these weapons, Beijing projects the image of a power with the ability to hit not only in Asia-Pacific, but against objectives in US territory, including Guam or even the west coast. The sea as an instrument of ascent. I remembered this week The BBC In an extensive report that, in just two decades, China has transformed its naval industry into the most powerful in the world, absorbing More than 60% of the global orders of ships and producing at a rhythm 200 times higher than that of the United States. This domain is reflected in its navy, which already has 234 ships compared to 219 of the American fleet, although the American advantage still lies in the tonnage, in the large aircraft carriers and in the technological superiority of its submarines. For Beijing, the sea is The basis of its development economic (with seven of the ten most active ports on the planet) and the springboard to project Geopolitical ambitions increasingly explicit in the South China Sea and beyond. A new Chinese naval base with six nuclear submarines Dual shipyards and fusion. The key to this growth lies in the fusion between shipyards civil and military. Dalian, Guangzhou, Jiangnan and Hudong-Zhonghua produced between 2019 and 2024 almost 550,000 tons of military ships, more than the British Navy Royal displaces. The “military-live” model driven by XI Jinping allows large commercial facilities to manufacture war or support their maintenance, which provides China from multiply assets In case of prolonged conflict. Thus, even without even having a fleet of aircraft carriers comparable to the American, Beijing has a strategic advantage in the speed of replacement and In versatility of his shipyards. Extended bases. The qualitative leap is reflected in the expansion of bases such as Yulin, in Hainan, where in recent years they have Added five docks To house Jin nuclear submarines capable of carrying twelve strategic missiles each. In fact, recent trials and social networks material show that the popular liberation army is incorporating submarine drones capable of deep surveillance, detection of cables and covert operations in international waters. Although much of these technologies remains experimental, the investment rate suggests a clear will of shortening distances With Washington in high sophistication areas. The historical memory. In addition, the Chinese naval project is loaded of political symbolism. Xi Jinping links its strengthening to the “humiliations” suffered between 1840 and 1949, when China suffered 470 invasions and lost its regional power position. In The military paradeswhich exhibit hypersonic missiles and antisatellite weapons, the idea of ​​a country that resurfaces after centuries of submission is transmitted. Thus, the slogan “we defend our ocean dream”, present In naval theme parks and in walls of port cities, seeks to instill national pride and legitimize the enormous military expense before the population. The Taiwan factor and tensions. With this “Naval” Map of Beijing, the biggest question is how the nation will use The growing power. Although he says he does not want to interfere in other countries, he holds the promise of “gathering” Taiwan, without ruling out The use of force. United States, forced by law to assemble Taipéi, perceives the risk of an open conflict dragging the region to a greater war. Chinese naval trials near Japan and the circumnavigation of Australia show that the Navy is no longer limited to its nearby waters. Meanwhile, the Pentagon Try to revitalize a naval industry weakened after decades of divestment, although recovering the initiative will be A titanic task. The decisive issue for the Pacific balance, therefore, seems clear: who can put … Read more

It is not that Russia is lack of artillery, it is that from the space its armor park is being empty

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Last July 28 is He published a study of the Institute of the School of Economy of kyiv where the situation of the vast Soviet arsenals that Russia had been using since the beginning of his invasion in Ukraine was analyzed. The analysis left no doubt: they were exhausting shipments from the main Russian military stores. Now, this study has added graphic evidence. The decline of reserves. Yes, in Another study recent intelligence of Ukraine, based on satellite images and published by the Jompy researcherit is confirmed that Russian tank reserves are entering a critical phase of exhaustion. The detailed monitoring of military deposits shows that the constant extraction From armored, together with the industrial disability to restore them to the necessary rhythm, it is racing in a accelerated way of Moscow to sustain the war in Ukraine with modern combat cars. Exhaustion and obsolete tanks. The nerve center of this deterioration, according to satellite imagesis the 1311 deposit, where they are withdrawing around 20 T-72b tanks a month. If that rhythm is maintained, the warehouse will be empty before the end of the year, an unexpected fact even for analysts who follow the evolution of Russian material. This emptying adds to the exhaustion of stocks close to the Uralvagonzavod plantmain tank factory in the country. Even more revealing is that 1311 no longer counts With T-80BVwhich suggests that Russia would have completely consumed that line of reserves. The presence of T-80ud In base 22 it does not alter the panorama, as these vehicles are not suitable for reconditioned. Given this shortage, they have begun to be extracted T-55 and T-62tanks of the fifties and sixties whose reappearance in Omsktransash indicates a forced setback towards obsolete models. The problems of the industry. The lack of recent updates in the images of Base 6018 points to the fact that Omsktransash, one of the pillars in armored repair, faces It would be difficulty to maintain an adequate restoration rhythm. The need to resort to infantry combat vehicles (BMP), which originally were not part of the lots stored in 1311, reflects the improvisation with which Russia is trying Cover empty in its mechanized arsenal. The general picture reveals an industrial pressure that fails to sustain the war demand, partly because vehicles extracted are in deplorable conditions after storage decades. A Russian T-80BV No strategic reservations. Once 1311 is emptied, Moscow will be forced to resort to Deposits 349 and 2544where the T-72awith 586 and 215 units respectively. However, most are in poor condition, which limits the real effectiveness of this resource. The projection is bleak: when these reserves are exhausted, Russia will depend almost exclusively on T-55 and T-62, which represent barely 16% of the inventory of armored prior to the invasion of Ukraine. Quality degradation is evident: of third generation models, relatively modern, to platforms that decades ago they are considered overcome in any scenario of contemporary war. And without artillery. It We count A few weeks ago. The decline is not limited to tanks. Previous reports had already indicated that Russia has consumed almost Half of your reservations of artillery towed in the Shchuchye deposit, which housed about 50% of all this material in the country. In addition, the pace of reactivation of pieces It has collapsedbeing currently more than four times lower than that registered in 2022, confirming the progressive inability to reconstitute the power of terrestrial fire. A step back. The news has a clear background: the wear war in Ukraine has led the Russian army to a point where its formations are experiencing a “DESMECCANIZATION”that is, a setback from the classic model of armored regiments to infantry -centered units that advance in motorcycles, light vehicles without protection or even on foot. This phenomenon does not imply that Russia is losing war, since its numerical superiority in personnel allows you It limits severely Moscow’s ability to transform those tactical advances into deep and strategic ruptures of the enemy front. Strategic implications. This panorama suggests that Russian war machinery faces a Structural limit difficult to overcome. The apparent initial abundance of Soviet reserves is being replaced for the urgency of resorting to material practically museum. Each T-62 or T-55 deployed on the front not only lacks the necessary benefits against drones, anti-tank missiles and guided artillery, but also exposes crews to crews A higher risk In modern fighting. The loss of contemporary armored armies will reduce the Russian offensive capacity, will make it slower and will force their controls to rethink mechanized assault strategies, which have already shown vulnerability in Ukraine. Image | Google Maps, Jompy/X, Alan Wilson In Xataka | The war in Ukraine, far from approaching its end, has added a disturbing ingredient: an unexpected “friend” for Russia In Xataka | It is not that the war has entered its Mad Max phase, is that Ukraine is using the trucks we saw in the movie

The fires that are ravaging Spain, seen from the space and through the maps

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Although the heat wave that we have been supporting for days begins to send and, According to data from the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET)the maximum temperatures will descend in a generalized way this week, the forest fires They are still out of control. So far this year, More than 344,400 hectares have already burned throughout Spain. A figure that makes 2025 one of the worst seasons of forest fires that Europe has lived in the last two decades. 13 tricks to get the most out of Google Maps With this panorama, it is normal to ask how the situation evolves. The reality is that the foci constantly change. However, there are technological tools open and accessible both for the general public and for the authorities. Two of the most useful are the alert system for Google Maps crisis and the emergency viewfinder of the Copernicus Program of the European Union. Both resources are available for free and you can consult them right now. Google Maps is one of those applications that we use daily, but we don’t always know all its functions. To see the active forest fires You have to enter the mobile app or maps.google.com and play on the layer icon, in the upper right corner. In the section Map type You don’t have to change anything. The focus is in Map detailswhere we must select the Forest Fire option. The system will show the affected areas with relevant information, such as the level of gravity and the date of the last update. If we play in any of the marked areas (for example, Ourense, one of the most complicated when publishing this article), we will access a file with the estimated perimeterlinks to official sources and related articles. Google Maps is not limited to showing points on the map: behind there is a system that combines Ia with satellite images. To detect and delimit forest fires, use a model of Deep Learning Trained with satellite data such as GOES-16, GOES-18, Himawari-9 or European meteosat, among others. It also relies on sensors such as Modis (of Aqua and Terra satellites) and VIIRS (aboard S-NPP and JPSS-1). All that information is processed through Superresolution techniques To identify active spotlights and update maps with precision. In the case of the Copernicus system, you have to access the page Current Sition ViewerAvailable on the web forest-fire.emerncy.copernicus.eu/applications. The viewfinder is quite intuitive. In the left lateral menu you have to locate the Rapid Damage Assessment section and focus on the Active Fire layer. There are two selectable data sources: Modiswhich collects information through satellite sensors Terra and Aqua. VIIRSwhich uses similar algorithms to detect active spotlights aboard the satellite Suomi NPP (National Polar-Footing Partnership). Both layers allow to visualize in real time the fires detected from space, and are a valuable tool to closely follow the situation both in Spain and in the rest of Europe. Images | Copernicus (Emergency Management Service) | Google Maps In Xataka | If the question is how to shield the mountain to fires, in Soria they have an ancestral solution: luck of pines

launch satellites to space without rocket

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Adak is a small island at the western end of Alaska. With a military past for its proximity to Russia, today it has less than 400 inhabitants. In this almost pospocalyptic scenario, A Californian startup called spinlaunch Plan to build a giant centrifugator for catapult satellites to space. The perfect place for a space catapult. Although the argument of a science fiction film seems like the company, the company has signed an alliance With The Aleut Corporation, owner of much of Adak Island, to build its orbital launch platform there. The choice of the island is not accidental. Its northern latitude and its location in the Pacific allow polar and high inclination launch trajectories without the need to fly over populated areas. Air and sea traffic are also minimal. Adak was an important air base of the United States until 1997, so it has an operating airport and a deep water port, which would greatly facilitate the logistics of building and operating the installation. In addition, the island has enormous wind, hydraulic and geothermal potential that would allow feeding the electric centrifuger with renewable sources. How the spinlaunch centrifuger works. The Californian startup He did a concept of concept in 2022. The system is essentially a kinetic accelerator sealed in vacuum. Inside, a carbon fiber arm rotates the projectile that the satellite contains at hypersonic speeds, reaching 7,500 km/h. At the precise moment, the projectile is released and triggered to heaven by a fireplace. Once it reaches an altitude of 60 km, where the atmosphere is very dim, a small engine turns on to give the final thrust that allows the orbital speed to reach. In one of its most spectacular tests, They placed a camera aboard To see it in the first person. The greatest technical challenge is the brutal acceleration that subjects the payload to forces of up to 10,000 g. Spinlaunch has collaborated with NASA to demonstrate that satellites specially designed for centrifuging can survive the extreme trip. But although Keep working In perfecting the system, it has had to diversify its business so as not to fail. Launches in rockets to finance the tyrachinas. After years of silence, Spinlaunch reappeared in April 2025 with a plan that left many of his perplexed followers: displaying his own constellation telecommunications satellites. The most surprising: the 280 satellites of the Meridian project would be put in orbit using traditional rockets. Although many thought it was a tacit form of leave the catapultthe project on Adak island shows that the intention is to move on. In the words of David Wrenn, CEO of Spinlaunch: “The launch market is relatively small compared to the economic potential of satellite communications, more focused on costs than benefits.” So, if Meridian is successful, the centrigurator in the most remote town in the United States could end up seeing the light in the most post -epocalyptic environment imaginable. Image | Paxson WoelberSpinlaunch In Xataka | What to use rockets when you can use kinetic energy: this is the spectacular Spinlaunch space release system

China has shielded its space station against embargoes and sanctions. The key is how it has built it

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When Yang Liwei became The first Chinese astronaut in 2003The United States and Russia – bypassing the advances of the former Soviet Union – already accumulated decades of experience and more than fifty manned missions. In just over twenty years, that gap has been reduced by leaps and bounds. Of a modest debut, China has become humans to space, Mars And finally, To raise your own space station. A project that points to self -sufficiency with its own technology In Beijing they do not hesitate to show off technological independence. Yang Hong, chief engineer of the space station system, summed it up in June this year: “The central technologies of the Chinese Space Station have intellectual property totally independentand all its components are of national manufacture. ” The statement is ambitious: an orbital laboratory raised without resorting to foreign licenses, with all its critical systems designed and produced in China. To understand how China has come to raise its own space station, it is convenient to go back to 2011. That year, the US Congress approved the call Wolf amendment, a provision that prevents NASA and some federal offices use funds to cooperate bilaterally with Chinese entities in spatial matters, except express authorization from Congress and Certification of the FBI. This includes the exchange of technology, data or training, and in practice has blocked any Chinese access route to the International Space Station through NASA. The measure was officially justified for security reasons and concerns about sensitive technology transfer. Analysts like Makena Youngfrom the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), argue that the exclusion imposed by the Wolf amendment “has encouraged China to Accelerate your space programscreating a serious competitor for American leadership in this key scanner of exploration ” Everything indicates that this led Beijing to reinforce its long-term plans and redefine its strategy: move towards a manned program with greater independence, with Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 as test laboratories before the current station. Now, is there inheritance of previous designs? Yes, and it is not a secret. But one thing is the historical lineage and another, the current dependence. The key is in critical blocks, presumably energy, attitude control, life support, navigationcommunications, computation and software. If those links are under national control, the self -sufficiency narrative gains strength, which means that there are no weak points that a rival country can take advantage of. In operations, there have been no public signs of external dependence: crew rotations and the resupplies have been fulfilled. But there enters the nuance: outside the official story, there are no independent verifications, so it is convenient to avoid absolute, despite the solid signals of autonomy. If we see this from a broader perspective we can discover that the US vetoes They have promoted the development of more advanced national chipsimprovements in manufacturing nodes, An impulse in electric mobility. External barriers have not stopped Beijing: they have been, rather, A strategic catalyst. Images | CMS In Xataka | The state of the ISS is so alarming that the United States and Russia have sat at the table for the first time in eight years In Xataka | It was not an extraterrestrial ship, but not a giant kite. We were totally wrong about 3i/Atlas

Jeff Bezos’s space company has advanced Spacex in a key milestone to go to the moon and Mars: zero evaporation

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One of the biggest obstacles to a mission to Mars is not the distance or travel time. It is the fuel. To send a manned ship, NASA estimates that dozens of Cryogenic propellant tons stored for weeks or months. But those liquids do not behave like on earth: in a vacuum, exposed to heat and without gravity, They are slowly evaporating even if the tank is perfectly sealed. That phenomenon, known as Boil-offforces to release the generated gas so that the pressure does not rise dangerously inside the tank. It is a constant loss that, in a long -term mission, can mean tons of tons of fuel lying to space. Therefore, developing tanks capable of preserving this propellant at safe pressure and without losses, which is known as zero evaporation technology, has become a technical requirement to go beyond the low orbit. Zero evaporation: the technical challenge that separates the orbit low from the rest of the solar system Blue Origin claims to have taken an important step To solve that problem. Jeff Bezos’ company has managed to maintain liquid oxygen and hydrogen in stable conditions, without evaporation, using Hardware flight prototype In earth tests (Blue Origin has not detailed whether it is vacuum thermal cameras or conventional banks). Dave clean announced itits CEO, as part of the lunar permanence program, stating that they already meet all the objectives set by NASA in this area. Click to see the publication in x The result is not less: we talk about conserving hydrogen at 20 Kelvin and oxygen to 90 Kelvin, two extreme temperatures, during sustained periods. This makes Blue Origin – which we know – the first private company that publicly and explicitly communicates a zero evaporation condition in cryogenic propelants. In the absence of this technology to vuele and demonstrate in orbit, what is achieved represents the most tangible advance so far towards tanks capable of storing liquid fuel without losses, a key piece to operate ships on the moon or Mars. Storing loss without space is not just a matter of good materials. It is a constant battle against physics. Even the best thermal insulation ends up giving in. Therefore, the path to zero evaporation goes through active solutions that cool the deposit from within. NASA has investigated two: The sub -housing jet and microgotes injectiontwo methods that allow to reduce the steam temperature and prevent internal pressure. Blue Origin has not detailed which of the two uses, but the logic points to the sub -deputy jet, The only tested method So far in microgravity by NASA. It consists of directing a very cold liquid jet where the steam is accumulated. When condensing it, it is avoided that the pressure rises and it is not necessary to release gas. It is a technologically complex system, but so far it has demonstrated greater efficacy and stability in test conditions. Long before Blue Origin announced its advance, NASA had already tested these systems In space. The ZBOT program, deployed aboard the International Space Station, allowed us to observe how a microgravity propellant tank behaves. One of its main discoveries was that the Interaction between the sub -housing jet and steam It does not follow the classic rules we know on earth. The Blue Origin cryogenic system during the ground tests of its zero evaporation technology In ZBOT-1, not only was it possible to control internal pressure with active mixture. Unexpected phenomena were also detected as cavitation, sudden formation of bubbles or flow alterations that could affect the stability of the system. That information – obtained with sensors, cameras and laser measurement systems – has served several companies, including Blue Origin, to design tanks capable of functioning stable in extreme environments. Spacex has not yet announced a zero evaporation solution as such. But that It does not mean that I am not working on it. In collaboration with NASA, The company has developed A cryogenic architecture oriented to reduced evaporation, which has already been validated in flight. In March 2025Starship made a Internal transfer of liquid oxygen in spacedemonstrating that he could move fuel and control his pressure without losing it excessively. NASA Artistic Recreation Although Spacex and Blue Origin are addressing the same general challenge – almaceinar propelants in space without losses – do not work with the same fuels or face the same level of thermal difficulty. Spacex uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, while Blue Origin works with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. That difference is key. Liquid hydrogen must be maintained to one much lower temperature than that of methane or even that of oxygen. In addition, hydrogen is less dense, more prone to escape and much more difficult to isolate. Achieving zero evaporation conditions with hydrogen is therefore a major technical challenge. The advance announced by Blue Origin is not only significant by the result, but by the type of fuel with which it has achieved it. When talking about going to Mars, you often think of rockets, habitats or space costumes. But one of the most serious bottleneck is in something much more basic: conserve fuel. In a long -lasting mission, the propellant is not used at once. You have to store it, transfer it and, many times, keep it operational for weeks without being lost by evaporation. That makes zero evaporation technology a key piece for both future interplanetary missions and missions Artemis To the moon. Images | Blue Origin (1, 2) | POT | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Spain is very excited about the three eclipses that will arrive between 2026 and 2028. The government is worried

The plan to manufacture the purest semiconductors in the world is to go to space

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While the United States and China tense their relationships with Taiwan chips factories in the center of the dispute, a Welsh Startup has been getting allies To manufacture semiconductors in orbit. The objective: to achieve an impossible quality to replicate on Earth. Context. The geopolitics of semiconductors is possibly one of the largest headaches for world powers. Europe imports 80% of the chips you need, and 90% of the most advanced It comes from Taiwan. An climb of tension in the region could have catastrophic consequences. Therefore, the search for a resilient supply chain is a strategic priority. The solution, paradoxically, may not be on earth. This is where it enters Space Forgean Aerospace Company based in Cardiff that is developing reusable satellites to manufacture semiconductors and other advanced materials in orbit. Manufacture chips in space. Why go so far for something so small? The answer is in physics. Vacuum and microgravity They are ideal conditions for the development of ultrapurus crystalsthe base of any semiconductor. On earth, gravity introduces tiny imperfections and defects in the crystalline structure of the materials during their formation. NASA He has been studying for decades The advantages of manufacturing in space. Gravity causes phenomena such as convection and sedimentation of molten materials, which prevents a homogeneous distribution of components and generates defects. In space, these problems disappear. Materials are formed more perfectly, which translates into higher quality chips, more efficient and lower energy consumption. The first satellite. Space Force believes that glass “seeds” can occur in space 10 times pure That anyone found on Earth, which would result in semiconductors with a hundredth of the defects. Less defects implies less waste, greater performance and, ultimately, more powerful and efficient devices. But how much of promise and what about reality? The company has already put its first manufacturing satellite, the Forgestar-1. Successfully released in June 2025 On board a spacex rocket, this satellite, developed entirely in Wales, is the first British spacecraft sent to space with the purpose of producing new materials. It is a first demonstration mission: it will prove that the appropriate environment for space can be created and some production techniques will validate. NATO is knocking on the door. Space Forge got 30 million dollars In its first financing round, the largest series for a space technology in the United Kingdom. The most significant is Who leads The investment: NIF, the NATO Innovation Fund. The NIF highlighted “the independence of the long -term supply and resilience” chain as one of the reasons to invest in the startup. This capital injection will accelerate the development of the Forgestar-2, the next generation of its returnable manufacturing satellite. Microgravity as a service. The potential of microgravity manufacturing goes beyond semiconductors. Metal alloys can be impossible to mix on the earth or new compound materials. The pharmaceutical industry could also benefit greatly, with improvements in the useful life of medicines and administration methods. Space Forge aspires to a business model of “microgravadad-asservice“, an idea that somehow remembers the Arm licenses model. Instead of selling chips, it will rent spaces in its” orbital factories “so that others produce their own materials. In Xataka | Manufacturing materials for space is fine. Manufacturing materials in space is much better because everything changes

We have been sending our location to space for 75 years without realizing it. It is now detectable in more than 120,000 stars

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Deliberate attempts for Contact extraterrestrial civilizations, Like the famous Arecibo messagethey have not received an answer. But what takes the dream of a group of cosmologists are not our well -intentioned messages, but those who send without realizing all the airports in the world. An incredibly powerful beacon. We have been shouting at the cosmos for decades without even pretending, betraying our existence in more than 120,000 nearby star systems. A new investigation presented in the Royal Astronomical Society It reveals that the combined electromagnetic leakage of all our airports form a very powerful beacon. According to the study, the signal is so intense that a civilization with technology similar to ours could detect it at a distance of up to 200 light years. Civil and military aviation radars. Researchers at the University of Mercanster simulated how radar signals that are used to control air traffic spread in space. The conclusion is amazing: the combined power of civil aviation radars adds 2 × 10¹⁵ watts, a sufficient figure for a radio telescope to capture hundreds of light years. But the thing doesn’t end there. Military radars, although they have a accumulated power of less than 1 × 10¹⁴ watts, create a pattern that sweeps the sky like a lighthouse. This signal will seem clearly artificial for anyone who observes from interstellar distances. In fact, it can be up to 100 times more powerful than the background signals, depending on the location of the observer. Our accidental technofirma since 1950. While the detection potential is 200 light years, these radar systems only emit with a similar intensity Since the 1950swhich means that our unintentious signal has expanded for now about 75 light years in all directions. Our technofirma has already reached nearby star systems as next centauri (4 light years), the star of Barnard (6 light years) and au microscopii (32 light years), but we still have to wait another 125 years to spread to the maximum and be detected in a radius of 200 light years. There are two ways to take this. On the one hand, we are sending the entire neighborhood an unequivocal sign that there is intelligent life on Earth. Figures such as astronomer David Brin have been Very critical of the idea of “shouting to the cosmos” without first establishing a global consensus. It is an arrogant decision, he argues, because he could end up affecting all humanity. On the other hand, the study gives us an important clue to The search for extraterrestrial life: If there are other civilizations such as ours, perhaps the easiest signs to locate are not their messages, but the radars of their airports. Image | Masterphoto-Dk (CC by 2.0) In Xataka | What is Fermi’s paradox and why the atomic bomb architect took a turn to the extraterrestrial life search

PLD Space has a detailed plan to become the European rocket factory. And the pieces have started fitting

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With Miura 1, PLD Space became the first private company in Europe to successfully launch a suborbital rocket. Since then, the Spanish company has stepped on the accelerator with a project in mind: launching Miura 5 in 2026. Today the first orbital rocket in Spain is not a project, but a tangible reality that is being assembled in Elche. PLD Space It has already manufactured All its components and prepares to start your engines for the first time. The Treprel-C roars in Teruel. A rocket is, in essence, an engine with a large fuel tank. Miura 5 will have five Treprel-C engines fed by turbobomba in its first stage, generating a combined thrust of 950 kN, 30 times more than Miura 1. The development of the most important component of the rocket advances to counterreloj. The company already tested in its test banks of Teruel’s airport combustion cameras, validating manufacturing technologies such as copper and nickel electrode. The turbobombs, the largest developed by a European startup, They were also tested with a complete ignition before its final integration into the engine. Elements such as gas generators and cryogenic valves were designed, manufactured and tested internally following the lessons learned during the development of MIURA 1. A process that has culminated with the start of the engine series manufacturing: there are already four engines of the Teprel-C family in production for the final qualification campaign. Aluminum plates have gained shape. Parallel to the development of engines, the construction of the rocket structure itself advances at a good pace. In a recent videoThe company details how its Elche factory has been working on the molding and the test of the metal structures (the fuel tanks) and of composite materials (the separation module between stages and the cofia that will protect the satellites of the customers). These components have already undergone all kinds: tests at room temperature, cryogenic, and with compression and flexion loads to ensure that the structure will support the brutal conditions of the launch. The idea is to refine the design with the results of the prototypes to maximize their performance. After validating the engineering models, PLD Space is now manufacturing the final qualification components, the step prior to the series production of Miura 5. The launch ramp is running. The company signed a development contract With the French Space Agency (CNES) to build its own launch complex in the European Space Port of Kouroou, in the French Guiana. The civil works will begin this summer in the same place where France launched its first rocket, the Elm-Diamant. The location is unbeatable: its proximity to Ecuador will allow optimizing the trajectories of Miura 5 and launching heavier loads with less fuel. But PLD Space does not conform and has also signed an agreement with Oman to build a Second launch base In the Etlaq Space Puerto. This movement will give direct access to the Mercado de Oriente. A plan to be the European rocket factory. At the same time that Miura 5 develops, PLD Space is raising an industrial complex to manufacture it in series. The company has designed a plan to climb its production to 32 units per year by 2030. This industrial effort is based on a supply chain of almost 400 partners, mostly Spanish and Europeans, which has invested 50 million euros Since the beginning of 2024. PLD Space has chained a series of crucial milestones that draw a very clear and ambitious roadmap, as European confidence demonstrates. Back of the European Space Agency. PLD Space is already officially one of the five companies preselected by ESA to guarantee sovereign access to space in Europe. The European Launcher Challenge has awarded contracts of up to 169 million euros to the five companies, among which are the French Maiaspace, the British Orbex and the Germans Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg. PLD Space has proposed to Miura 5 as its immediate operating pitcher already His future heavy and reusable rocket, the Miura Nextlike the next step. The ESA final decision will be taken in November 2025, but the pre -selection already positions the Spanish company as a key actor and an industrial leader in the European launch sector. Image | PLD Space In Xataka | 12 years after making fun of Spacex and his idea of landing rockets, Arianegroup is creating a European mini-falcon 9

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