spatial

It is a leap in Spanish sovereignty in spatial geopolitics

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In 1989, Spain boosted its space industry. Not to go to the Moon, but to guarantee its telecommunications capacity. This is how Hispasat and its fleet of geostationary satellites offering broadcast coverage of television, radio, broadband and connectivity in remote areas. In 2023 it was decided that Hispasat would be our own Starlink. It has been a huge failure has put Hispasat in an extreme situation. But since those satellites are not going to be wasted, there is someone who has already shown interest a few months ago: Indra. And it is the key piece for the Spanish company to become one of the heavyweights of European rearmament. The slap of Hispasat. We told it a few days ago. The resounding failure of the plan that sought to place Hispasat as the alternative to starlinkwhen technologically they are two totally different things, has been the condemnation. To face the transformation, it received public funds, money that it has had to return. The figures are scary: 22 million from public aid that have flown out of the company’s coffers. It has left them shivering. Indra enters the scene. Indra is a technology group specialized in defense, aerospace and advanced digital technologies. They are focused on the military industry, but not building tanks or ships, but rather the “brain” of the systems, as well as radars, surveillance services, electronic warfare either cyber defense. For a company like this, Hispasat is candy. And at the beginning of this year we already said that Indra was very interestedlaunching a 725 million euro offer that needed regulatory approval. Now, and as we read in Europa Pressthe Council of Ministers would have already authorized the purchase of 89.68% of Hispasat by Indra for 725 million euros. With this operation, Indra would control the communications satellites, but also Hisdesat. This is the branch of Hispasat military satellitesfocused on offering encrypted and secure communications. It is key in both military and government operations. Metamorphosis. The Government of Spain controls 28% of Indra’s capital, being the company’s main shareholder, so this approval is a mere procedure. But, if Hispasat was completely absorbed, Indra would experience a metamorphosis. If space is new battlefield (something that The United States, Russia or China are pushing), Spain must be there, and would be hand in hand with Indra systems. Because this space war is not just something from science fiction or satellites with machine guns like the ones France wants (or the ones it has China with robotic arms), but something we are already seeing in Ukraine. During the war with Russia, Starlinkwhich are communications satellites, were key to offering communications and cloud services, connecting troops, fighters and drones in real time without depending on anyone else. In Leonardo’s league. It is true that the latency of the Hispasat network is greater as it is at a higher altitude, but it is a first step. Additionally, it allows Indra to be more three-dimensional. The satellite network is added to its radar and command systems division, becoming a piece with more weight in the current turbulent geopolitical board. And, although he commented that this approval from the Government was a formality, it is not empty bureaucracy, but a declaration of intentions in the direction of industrial and military sovereignty, reinforcing its position within Europe like the French Thales or the Italian Leonard. Rearmament context. In the end, everything falls within a context in which Europe is seeing that it must stop depending on external agents for its defense and services. A few months ago, The European Commission called for rearmamentand different countries have already raised their military reindustrialization strategies (some giving some ‘face’ to finance infrastructure), but in all areas we are witnessing that the European Union has lost confidence in allied countries. The war in Ukraine or the tariffs have strained the relationship with the United States, and even in the aerospace industry we are seeing that, now, Europe is taking out the credit card to stop depending on the United States or Russia to launch things into space. And this move by Indra makes the company transcend from being one that provides systems to one that plays the role of architect of European defense. Images | Zarateman, In Xataka | ESA has taken a historic step to access the Moon autonomously: Argonaut, the first European lunar module

It is the spatial power that less invests in defense

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Every time we look at the GPS of the car, we consult the time or pay by card, the navigation, observation or time synchronization satellites make it Everything works without us noticing. But hundreds of kilometers on our heads, a silent war makes its way. One that, to end up exploding, could erase what we take for granted. The Ukraine War changed everything. He demonstrated, without a doubt, that satellites are not only scientific or commercial tools, but first -order military assets. From the tracking of the troops to the safe and resilient communicationsthe conflict “consecrated space as an operational domain of full right”, In the words of Vincent ChusseauHead of the French Space Command. At the same time, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine put on the table the advances in countermeasures to neutralize or interfere with enemy satellite signalsas well as the Fragility of a nation that does not have sovereign access to space. The space has been militarized. It is a documented reality. Reports like him Space Threat Assessment 2025 of the CSIS or the GLOBAL COUNTSPACE CAPABILITIES From the Secure World Foundation they draw a disturbing panorama: United States, China, Russia, Iran, Israel and other powers They have actively developed an entire anti-satellite capabilities. These technologies range from missiles launched from land to satellites capable of attacking others, going through high -power lasers to fry the electronic components in orbit. Advances are added to electronic warfare that we have also seen in Ukraine in the form of usual cyber attacks or interferences. Europe is staying behind. There are more than 200 anti-satellite weapons in space. For Europe it is a problem. While the United States and China treat space as a pillar of your national securityallocating 50% of public spending on defense space, Europe barely allocates 15%, Josef Aschbacher warnsdirector of the European Space Agency. The remaining 85% is dedicated to civil purposes, which raises a review of strategic priorities. While one of Aschbacher’s papers is to get more financing from the Member States, divergence attracts attention to the times. The European quota in global spatial financing is increasingly lower: only 10% in 2024, compared to 60% of the United States. Not only because other powers have joined the game, such as China and India, but because the EU invests only 0.07% of its GDP in space activities. The participation of Europe is less and less in a sector that expects to triple its value from here to 2035. At risk of losing autonomy. Europe has been moving chips so as not to depend on foreign powers for its own safety and the operation of essential services that depend on space, such as investment in the incipient sector of European microlanzores or the creation of Iris2 as a sovereign alternative to Starlink. But geopolitical instability and growing threats could force it to make more forceful decisions. European defense companies that are already expanding to the space sector do so without a common vision. The solution proposed by Aschbacher is a significant increase in the ESA budget, that could leave the European Rearme Plan. And another more pragmatic route: bet on dual -use space systems: Develop technologies and satellites that can meet both civil needs (science, observation of the earth, the Internet …) and defense (surveillance, safe communications …). Convert the need into opportunity. Image | That, Freepik In Xataka | The US has no doubt: Russia is building a nuclear weapon capable of destroying all satellites in orbit

Celestis promised an unforgettable spatial tribute. A European capsule ended star with human remains inside

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The idea is, at least, singular: send a small symbolic portion of the cremated remains or a person’s DNA to space. That a part of what was a human body experience zero gravity, go around the earth and become a relic for the family. A capsule that acts as a space urn. That’s how it is Earth Riseone of the services it offers Celestisan American company with more than 30 years of experience in this business that they define as “perseverance flights.” But this time not everything went as expected. On June 23, an Earth Rise mission transported 166 capsules with human remains and DNA samples. The take -off on board a Falcon 9 rocket of Spacex was successful. The capsule, developed by the European company The Exploration Companymanaged to enter orbit and completed two laps around the planet, fulfilling the planned flight profile. So far, everything went as planned. However, something failed during the reentry process. The NYX capsule, which had to return to the earth and deliver its individual modules to each family, He suffered an anomaly. The vehicle was lost shortly after starting its descent, and ended up crashing into the Pacific Ocean. With him, human remains and flight capsules also dispersed. “We believe we can’t recover anything,” He has recognized Celestis In a statement. The Celestis container with human remains that traveled inside the NYX capsule The origin of Celestis It goes back to 1992, when NASA included a sample of the remains of Gene Roddenberry, creator of ‘Star Trek’, in a mission of the Columbia ferry. Shortly after, Celestis collaborated with the agency to send remains of the Geologist Eugene Shoemaker to the moon, making him the first buried person there. Since then, they say, they have sent more than 1,200 capsules to space, aboard commercial releases, commemorating both known figures and anonymous citizens. They have several active services: suborbital flights that return to the earth, missions to the lunar orbit or even to the deep space. Earth Rise: A farewell with round trip ticket Celestis offers several types of commemorative spatial flights, but Earth Rise is the most economical and direct. For $ 3,495, the company launches a small capsule with cremated remains or DNA. After experiencing a few minutes in microgravity, the capsule returns to Earth and gives family members as a souvenir. It is a trajectory that seeks symbolism, not permanence. For those who look for something more ambitious, there are also other options: Earth Orbit: For $ 4,995, the capsules enter into terrestrial orbit and remain there until they resent and disintegrate in the atmosphere, “like a fleeting star.” Moon: For $ 12,995, the remains are sent to the lunar orbit or even land on the surface, “becoming a permanent tax on the moon.” Voyager: Also from $ 12,995, this service launches the capsules to the deep space, beyond the moon, in a trajectory without return. A European space capsule The capsule that transported the human remains on the Perseverance flight was not any space vehicle. Was NYXa prototype developed by The Exploration Company, a startup with presence in Germany, France and Italy that seeks to make a place in the new European space race. Its proposal is clear: create reusable, rechargeable capsules in orbit and compatible with any heavy pitcher in the world. The NYX capsule, prepared for its mission, at The Exploration Company facilities According to your websitethe company was founded in 2021 by Hélène Huby and a team of engineers with experience in large European programs such as Orion-Esm, Ariane or ATV. In just three years they have built two demonstrating capsules and have sold six missions. Its development rate has been unusually rapid for the sector. The flight Possible missionin which Celestis’s funeral capsules were traveling, it was the second demonstrator of the company. It was designed to perform a controlled reentry and recover the load after completing the mission. That was, in fact, one of his key technological promises: not only reach the space, but to return. And do it precisely. It was also the first time that a Private capsule of European origin offered that type of commercial service in collaboration with an American company as Celestis. The mission was an important step for The Exploration Company, which aspires to compete in the growing orbital transport market with its future NYX Earth capsule, designed to supply space stations in low orbit. The families expected to receive a capsule that had orbited the Earth, a symbolic and emotional tribute for those who decided to bet on this unique form of farewell. It was not possible. What remains is a story of ambition and failures. Touch to wait to know if Celestis will try again in the future. Images | Celestis/Exploration Company (1, 2, 3, 4) In Xataka | Taiwan believes having found the mythical planet 9 of the Solar System. Instead of looking for his light, he has been looking for his heat

brings us closer to a nuclear spatial war

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The antimisile shield that Donald Trump wants to put in the land orbit has triggered a forceful reaction of the Kim Jong-un regime. The word is Nuclar. The North Korean Foreign Ministry has described the Golden Dome project as “the height of arrogance and arrogance”, according to North Korean state media. The Pionyang cabinet accuses Washington of being “determined to militarize the outer space,” and warns that the initiative It could trigger “a global nuclear and spatial arms race”, turning the earth’s orbit into “a potential nuclear war field.” What is the Golden Dome. An antimile shield that, despite its name Inspired by Israel’s iron domewould use multiple layers of detection and interception “by land, sea and space”, including a network of sensors and interceptors deployed in orbit, such as a satellite constellation. So ambitious is the project that, as announced by Trump and its Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, would mean a “generational investment.” The White House has spoken of 175,000 million dollars over three years to be operational before 2029. The Congress Budget Office estimates that only space interceptors could cost up to 542,000 million dollarswith a two -decades deployment period. The promise is ambitious. A shield capable of demolishing hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, even if they are thrown from the other side of the world or from space, in all phases of attack. Technology would be based on both existing systems and new developments. According to Reuters, a consortium led by Spacex, Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries leads the race To display detection satellitesbased on the Starlink constellation. The hypothetical armed satellites for missile interception from space are the technologically most challenging and mysterious part of the project, among other things because they would have to be resilient to attacks with anti -attack weapons, that several powers have. An armed space. North Korean critic of the Golden Dome resonates with China’s, which Last week he expressed His “serious concern” for the “strong offensive implications” of the American antimile shield. Beijing accuses Washington of seeking “absolute security for itself” under a “United States first” policy, which “undermines global strategic balance and stability.” However, countries such as China and Russia have also advanced positions in the militarization of space, with satellites that pursue other satellites, secret deployments and spy spy airplanes. Image | White House Archives (2019) In Xataka | Russia, China and North Korea have hypersonic weapons. The US has decided to defend itself with its own iron dome

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