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We have been believing for decades that the Great Pyramid was built at one time. The latest analysis places it more than 20,000 years earlier

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(Fortunately) the world is full of monuments as ancient as they are impressive, but few, very few, are comparable to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Almost 140 meters high, thousands of years old and an immortal testimony to the power of Ancient Egypt. It has such magnetism that every year they visit it millions of people arrivals from all over the world. But… What if we have been wrong about its origins for decades? What if instead of becoming 2,500 BCas we have always believed, rose up ago more than 20,000 years? What if Pharaoh Cheops was not its true promoter, but simply renewed it? All those questions have been left by launching a new (and controversial) study. What has happened? That Egyptology has just been shaken by unusual news in modern archaeology: a study that has turned upside down the dating (and origins) of the Great Pyramid of Gizaone of the most iconic monuments not only in Egypt or Africa but on the entire planet. Until now, experts agreed that the monument was built in the time of Khufu, around 2589-2566 BCbecoming one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years. For Alberto Doninian Italian engineer from the University of Bologna, that estimate falls short. Very short. In fact, he has published a study in which he traces the origins of the pyramid back to more than 20,000 years. What dates do you handle? After analyzing several points of the pyramid, Donini has come to the conclusion that the reference date to talk about its origins should be another: 22941 BC That is, their calculations indicate that the structure is around 24,900 years old. Before continuing, it is important to clarify one detail: its analysis does not seek to set specific dates, but rather to establish a time frame for the construction of the monument. What does that mean? That, in reality, what Donini has done is calculate that there are 68.2% probability that the period of construction of the pyramid is framed in a window that extends between 38,903 and 10,979 years ago. The calculation of 24,941 years would therefore be a simple arithmetic mean that serves as a reference. If instead of talking about antiquity we talk about calendars, this means that, according to the estimates of the Italian engineer, the most famous structure in Giza was probably built between 36878 and 8954 BC What is it based on? Donini’s work is not controversial only because of its conclusions. It is also because of its methodology, the calculation system it has used. Its main tool is Relative Erosion Method (REM), a formula that dispenses with documentary sources to be based fundamentally on what the rocks say. Literally. What the REM does is analyze the erosion of the pyramid blocks to, based on their level of wear, date them. Said like this, it sounds simple, but what the engineer has done is somewhat more complex: he selected 12 different points spread across the base of the Great Pyramid and then compared their different levels of erosion, looking at aspects such as the holes and cavities opened in the rock by rain or the roots of plants and the natural wear and tear caused by wind, sand and the constant passage of people. And has that been of any use? Yes. The analysis has yielded a disparate range of dates. At one of those twelve points, the REM suggested an estimated age of 5,708 years. In others the estimate was 17,955, 30,375 or even more than 50,000 years. It may sound strange considering that we are talking about a single monument and it is logical to think that all its blocks have been there for the same amount of time, but many factors influence erosion: from the position of each stone, which determines its exposure to wind and rain, to its mineral composition. It’s still a strange thing, isn’t it? Yes. And no. It is true that the engineer obtained very different dates, but this is explained by another peculiarity of the Great Pyramid. The monument did not always have the appearance we see today. In it 1303 AD The area suffered an earthquake that affected the white limestone blocks that originally covered the structure. That material was later reused in buildings in Cairo. Although it may sound like an archaeological tragedy, it offers experts like Donini a real opportunity. The reason? They now have blocks that have been exposed to erosion almost since the construction of the Great Pyramid and others that have only been exposed to erosion for 675 years, when the earthquake left them bare. This contrast partly explains why when applying the REM method Donini obtained such a broad time frame, the same one that later led him to propose an antiquity of 24,941 years. Issue settled, then? No. The study has only served to stir up the debate. And it is more than understandable if we take into account several keys. First, the dating turns upside down everything we thought we knew about one of Egypt’s most famous monuments. Among other things, he questions whether Pharaoh Cheops was its main architect and slips that he could have limited himself to reforming it. Furthermore, Donini’s study has another handicap: it is preliminary and has not been peer-reviewed, which heats up the debate (even) more. He himself has admitted that REM calculations are influenced by factors that must be handled with caution, such as the variability of erosion processes or the wear and tear that mass tourism may have had on certain parts of the base of the pyramid, altering the calculations. Images | Wikipedia, Alessandro Zanini (Unsplash) and 2H Media (Unsplash) Via | 3D Games In Xataka | Egypt is creating a new tourist mega-destination. There are those who see it as a threat to the oldest monastery in the world

with Bluetooth and USB-C. And it comes at the best time

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The physical format is immortal (unless ask PlayStation, of course) and what we have been seeing for some time is that not only are the formats that never really ended up coming back, but there is also the trend of retro hardware to play those formats. We are talking about digicams to take photos without the algorithms of a current mobile phone, but also about vinyl players. In video games, retro consoles have been a fantastic way to enjoy video games for years (and even more so now how the current generation is getting), there is nostalgia for VHS and it was another format that seemed forgotten: that of tapes or cassettes. Because it’s not just that you can find tapes at a good price, but there are a lot of players (misnamed ‘Walkmans’) that have adapted to the new times with lithium batteries and Bluetooth connection. And the most important thing is that, despite all the limitations of listening to music on CD, tape or vinyl, this is something that makes perfect sense if we want to disconnect from the algorithm and actively listen to music. Retro is back (and perhaps at the best time) The Walkman is today a collector’s item. I am referring to the legendary Sony TPS-L2 that hit the market in 1979. Since then, the Japanese brand’s player became a standard on which they were iterated both inside and outside of Sony itself. Improvements soon came with miniaturization and the WM-2, as well as the production of similar devices by other brands such as Aiwa or Sanyo. Legendary However, the CDs did not take long to arrive and Sony had to reinvent itself with the Discman. In fact, he had to reinvent the Walkmann itself and, already in the digital age, launched a line of devices to play MP3 and uncompressed files under the Walkman brand. It is much more convenient to have an entire library in your pocket and not need to change batteries, where does it end up. But it’s much better to have all the world’s music within reach of a data connection. With platforms like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and othersit seems that an MP3 music player does not make sense, much less a device as limited as a tape or cassette player. However, Starting in 2018, things began to change.. That year we began to see a rrise in sales of music on cassettesbut also companies that turned their blank tape production plants back on so that users could do the reverse digitization process: from their MP3 music to the cassette. The idea is clear: in front of the algorithm and having music as a mere companion, as if it were white noise, recover control and experience, active listening. I recently started collecting vinyl and, although I still I have to decide on a playerYes, I have started listening to most of my music on an MP3 that I bought. It’s a SnowSky Echo Mini from the FiiO brand, a company that is focusing on audio devices and that not only allows you to read high-quality files, but also takes up very little space, the battery lasts a long time and there is no algorithm controlling my listening: only my music. I have been thinking for some time about taking another step and take that portable experience to an even more physical plane: that of the aforementioned cassettes. FiiO has a player and, really, it is not a lonely animal in this market. You just have to go to Amazon to see that there are many ‘walkmans’ to choose from and that also have modern features. It all depends on how much you want to spend, since you have models like the ones my colleagues point out, which range from those that for 20 euros allow you to play and convert to MP3, to one of Energy System very basic, but with a retro design, passing through much more expensive models like the We Are Rewind made of aluminum or those mentioned from FiiO. As with any device, it all depends on what you want to spend. And yes, you can always go to the second-hand market for a real Walkman, but there you will still have to dig deep and you won’t have features like a battery or Bluetooth. Be careful, I’m one of those who thinks that since you’re here, it’s better without Bluetooth, but having it doesn’t hurt. In the end, it is clear that there is an interest in this and, in fact, we have companies like Medion bringing out ‘parrots’ with a lot of functions. My recommendation, if you are even remotely interested in getting into the possession of music, not depending on an algorithm or that tomorrow the company on duty will take away songs from your face (which happens), take a look at second-hand stores because the tapes can still be found at a fair price. My partner Tones, of course, He is very cool with this topic. Image | We Are Rewind In Xataka | Special defeated technologies: Laserdisc

How to watch Spain – Portugal: date and time of the World Cup round of 16 match, and where you can watch it on any device

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Let’s explain to you How and where you can watch Spain’s match against Portugal. This is the round of 16 of the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup, an excellent Iberian duel from which only one will be able to advance to the quarterfinals. Let’s make the article simple. First we are going to tell you the date and time to which this match is played. And then, we will tell you what your options are to be able to watch it from any device. Date and time of Spain – Portugal Spain’s match against Portugal will take place this Monday, July 6 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas. It is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time8pm in the Canary Islands. Where to watch Spain – Portugal As we have explained to you when we told you where you can watch the 2026 World Cupsince it is a match for the Spanish National Team, you will be able watch it for free live through La1. This will allow you to see it both on DTT and on mobile phones or browsers through RTVE Play. Obviously, the party It will also be issued in the payment options that you could have to watch all the World Cup matches. It will be broadcast on DAZN and you will be able to watch it on any device if you have it contracted. You can also see it on the DAZN Mundial channel, available on both Movistar Plus and Orange TV. In Xataka Basics | Apps for football results: the best 14 applications to receive notifications and see match statistics

The best time to buy an electronic device was yesterday. The second best time is today

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I want the Steam Machine and, precisely for that (and for the more than 1,000 euros for the power it has), I am assembling a PC in pieces. I started choosing components and told myself “when I get paid, I’ll get it.” Two days later I happily looked at my payroll, went to Amazon to formalize the payment and found a surprise: almost 200 euros more. Guilty? The RAM and the GPU and I asked myself something: Do I jump through the hoop or wait? I commented on that same question a few days ago at the third meeting between editors and subscribers of Xataka Xtra and we draw three conclusions. The first is that everyone spends money on what they want, that’s what we work for. The second is that everything is very expensive and it is difficult to foresee the moment when the situation will change. If it does, of course. The third conclusion is that if you need any device or think you are going to need it in the short term, there is only one possible path: buy it now because it is already late, but tomorrow it will be even more so. Apocalypse wrapped 2026 First of all, a short review and at the bottom (although if you read us, you already know perfectly well what this nonsense is about). The consumer market has gone to hell due to the rise of AI. The two concepts are related because AI requires a lot of RAM, as well as storage, and the big problem is that there are very few companies that manufacture these components. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron (who have been denounced for seeking to take advantage of the situation) are the ones that have the capacity to manufacture the majority of necessary components and, since AI is so gluttonous, Big Tech has launched itself to create data centers and pay whatever price is necessary, all three have pivoted their production from the consumer segment to only that of hyperscalers. Consequences? If they don’t make chips for DDR5 memories, prices go up, but they don’t make NAND chips for consumer SSDs either, so prices go up. As they have turned to fast memories, They have abandoned the DDR4 and LPDDR4 memory production lines and, again, prices rise. They not only rise for consumers, but for companies. Samsung or Apple are two examples, with the latter announcing two days ago that They are going to increase the price of iPads and Macs by an average of 20% because they have no memory. Sony is looking for how to create a PS6 that costs less than 1,000 euros; Nothing saying that It’s not going to release some phones this year.; Raspberry Pi increasing its price A LOT and Microsoft rethinking its next Xbox because it gets out of hand. These are just a few examples, I think the idea is clear. That is, it is not that assembling a PC in parts is more expensive, it is that even routers are more expensive because they have some NAND chip inside. When being an early adopter is a good idea (and it shouldn’t) In the conversation with subscribers we decided to bring up the topic of early adopters. This term has been used (sometimes pejoratively) to refer to those who buy hardware on launch day, even knowing that you are going to pay more for a product that is worse than the revision they will release a year or two later. The case of the consoles is very revealing. The first models of PS3 and Xbox 360 were expensive (especially PS3, I still remember the 600 euros at launch with a controller and no games), but objectively worse than the ones they released two/three years later. Sony revised the design and released the PS3 Slim for 300 euros that heated up less and made less noise, and Xbox also launched a 360 Slim without red lightswith more internal storage and WiFi. You paid less, they were better, but you played later. If you weren’t in a hurry, absolutely nothing happened. The problem is that things have changed and with Xbox Series and PS5 The opposite has been seen: the consoles have been rising more and more in price. Now it has a certain justification because the crisis and such, but both ate one or two increases before any crisis. And so I come to the conclusion of this article. In January, when prices were already crazyI thought “I’m going to build a PC in pieces.” I didn’t do it because it was like “bah, I don’t 100% need it right now.” Now, I would travel back in time to give myself a couple of kicks. January was the best time, then February, then March and then… the 1,700 euro PC from two days ago. Because the easiest thing, and this is what the market trend is telling us, is that within a week, two or a month, those 1,700 euros will easily disappear and the same hardware will be more expensive. If it’s still available, that’s another matter. Lenovo already said in February that, if you needed something, you bought it as soon as possible. And given what I’ve seen, I recommend the same thing: if you need something new or if you think you’re going to need it in the short term, tomorrow is too late. We are jo….robbed Because, speaking of Lenovo, they also just say that the prices of some components They will never return to the pre-AI situation. You will think that it is an exaggeration, but in the world we live in it is something that makes all the sense in the world. Although there are segments in which declines in sales are being noticed (PlayStation has had the worst May in its history since the one registered in 2001), those that control the component market because they are the ones that have the capacity to manufacture them They are going … Read more

Exact time left for Earth in the habitable zone before ocean collapse

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For as long as humanity has been aware, it has wondered when and how the end of the world will come. Far from apocalyptic prophecies, science has a much more calculated, cold and inevitable response, since it is clear that the Earth has an expiration date, or at least its capacity to host life as we know it does. It has been calculated. A classic study published in the magazine Astrobiology In 2013 by researcher Andrew Rushby, he calculated the “habitability window” that our planet has left. The magic number, popularized from these physical and climate models, is around at 1.8 billion yearswhich is the average value that we find in the range between 1,750 and 3,250 million years. The problem is that this date is not entirely real, since within 1.8 billion years there will be no type of life on our planet, but for human beings and complex life the expiration date is much earlier. The culprit. To understand how scientists arrived at the figure of 1.8 billion years, we must look at the Sun. And, like any star of its type, our Sun is subject to a process of stellar evolution that means that, as it consumes its nuclear fuelits core contracts and heats up, causing the outer layers to expand and, therefore, its luminosity does not stop growing. Here Rushby’s team did not make a simple random prediction, but rather their methodology consisted of combining models of this evolution of solar brightness with parameters of the greenhouse effect and the energy balance of the Earth. What they were looking for was to calculate the exact moment at which the Earth will leave the so-called “habitable zone.” A little further. The habitable zone is that orbital strip around a star where temperatures allow the existence of liquid water on the surface of a rocky planet. But as the Sun becomes brighter and hotter, that fringe moves toward the edges of the solar system, while the planet does not move from its orbit. And that is a problem. All this means that when the Earth crosses the inner limit of this zone, the increase in solar radiation will trigger a runaway greenhouse effect, similar to what Venus suffers today. The effects of this will be the evaporation of the oceans, which will contribute to the greenhouse effect, trapping heat even more and accelerating the process until the Earth loses its liquid water irreversibly. And with it life. Different types of life. It is crucial to differentiate what “habitable” means in astrobiological terms versus what we consider “habitable” in our daily lives. A very important fact is that the Earth is approximately 4.545 billion years old, and life in its simplest forms emerged surprisingly early about 3.7-4.3 billion years ago. With all this we mean that the end of life will be staggered, starting with affecting complex life like us, which are extremely fragile to thermal variations. This makes the authors emphasize that the conditions for animal and human life will be greatly lost before reaching those 1.8 billion years. The last to die. The Apocalypse of 1.8 billion years refers to the last breath of the planet. In that final scenario, when the oceans are evaporating, only the most resistant extremophile microorganisms will be able to survive in isolated niches such as pockets of groundwater at very high temperatures before facing total extinction. Looking to the future. At this point, one might wonder what point it is to calculate exactly when the oceans will dry up eons from now if humanity today has more pressing problems. And the answer lies in the search for other planets, since by perfectly understanding how the “window of life” evolves in our solar system, astronomers have tools to apply to exoplanets that we are discovering thousands of light years away. In this way, knowing how long a planet’s habitability lasts depending on its host star helps us know where to look. We may find a planet in the “habitable zone” of its star, but if calculations reveal that it has only been there for a few million years, it is likely that complex life has not had time to evolve yet. Images | Javier Miranda In Xataka | Ryan MacDonald, astronomer, on the future of the Earth: “The death of the star is not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter”

Sony has just set a date for the end of video games in physical format. At the same time it announces the closure of digital stores

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The main players in the video game industry have been looking for years to find out how to migrate from physical Blu-Ray to digital format and they already have the answer: Sony has just set the date for the death of the physical format in video games. In a brief releasethe Japanese company has announced that January 2028 will be the turning point and that all the games that come out later for its consoles will arrive only in digital format. Curiously, at the same time that they dropped that bomb, the Japanese they threw another: the closure of the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita. Definitely not the best news to start July if you are a video game lover (and you like to own what you pay for). We go in parts because it has chicha. The end of physical games on PlayStation consoles “As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift from physical to digital discs, production of physical game discs for all new games released on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued beginning in January 2028. After this date, new games will be available on the PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.” Thus begins the statement from a company that continues to claim that this is a “natural direction” to adapt to consumer trends. They argue that “the overall preference for digital media significantly outweighs physical discs” and comment that they are doing gamers a favor because this decision will “allow us to align more closely with how the majority of our community prefers to access and play games today.” This news comes just a few days after we learned that a generational game like ‘GTA VI’ will not have a physical edition (at least at launch) and follows the trend of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that, in recent years, have invested heavily in the move to digital. There are consoles without a reader, a PS5 Pro whose reader was sold separately or a Nintendo that has launched Game Key Cards. It is undeniable that the convenience of the digital format was winning the battle. Recent estimates have put this on the table in major markets such as the United States, but the physical format has something that the digital format cannot offer: belonging. Because digital games (except those from stores like GOG) do not belong to whoever pays for them. They are user licenses, which means that today we can pay 80 euros for one, but if tomorrow whoever decides that that license is no longer valid, they can delete it. Even if you had it installed on the machine (tell that to ‘The Crew’ users). Some physical games were also paperweights that required an additional download, but the only way to own a video game was to buy a physical version that came complete on disk. With this movement, Sony gives an important blow to the possession of the product for which you have paid, but it completely destroys the second hand that is so important to access that cultural product called a video game. Sony won the PS4 generation with, among other things, that argument: the loan of video games and the free circulation of discs. And not that long ago. Because Sony announcing that it will stop “printing” discs is just that, a brutal blow to video games in physical format. Sony, along with Panasonic, was the main manufacturer of Blu-Ray discs, the one with the production chain and to which the rest of the companies have to send their games to capture them on the disc. And in the statement the company does not say: “we are going to stop manufacturing discs of our games”, but rather the “production of physical discs that will end in January 2028 for new games released on PlayStation consoles”, in general. In development…

For the first time we have “touched” the event horizon of a black hole. This is how we got it

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On January 14, 2025, the largest gravitational wave so far was detected. Today, these types of findings They are much more frequent than when the first of these waves was discovered, 10 years ago now. However, the fact that it was especially intense encouraged an international team of scientists to try something they had been wanting to try for some time: delve into the event horizon of a black hole. Less noise and a lot of intensity. Since the first gravitational wave was detected, the techniques used have been greatly refined, so background noise has been significantly reduced. Therefore, today it is possible to detect direct waves, a “jet” of gravitational radiation that occurs just when the two event horizons of the black holes that collided give rise to a single one. The study of these waves could provide very interesting information about black holes. However, a sufficiently powerful gravitational wave was necessary. For years, the authors of the study that It was just published in Nature They were exploring options, but they knew they were looking at the ideal candidate when analyzing one that was detected in January 2025. Important concepts. Before understanding what these scientists did we must be clear what are gravitational waves and what is the event horizon. Gravitational waves are produced by a very violent event, capable of disturbing space-time like a stone falling into the water of a pond. Normally, said violent event is the collision of two black holes, which merge to give rise to a single one. For its part, the event horizon is the theoretical limit from which nothing approaching a black hole can escape. Not even the light. When two black holes merge, we go from having two event horizons to just one. Just when that happens, that’s when direct waves form. The event horizon of a black hole remains a great unknown in many ways GW250114. The gravitational wave detected on January 14, called GW250114, was formed when two very similar black holes collided, one of 33.6 solar masses and the other of 32.2 solar masses. The result was a black hole of 62.7 solar masses. This is not the exact sum of the two black holes, because there was a surplus that was released in the form of very intense energy. This is how gravitational waves arise. Before and after. Generally, black hole collisions can be observed before and after. The vibrations of the approach and the stabilization after the formation of the new black hole are studied. There is a lot of mystery surrounding what happens in the “during.” Therefore, studying direct waves could provide a lot of interesting information. Finding the ideal fusion, these scientists identified the direct waves and proceeded to analyze them. As they had anticipated, this allowed them to extract data about the new event horizon. In turn, this allows us to extract data that cannot normally be measured from black holes, such as their rotation frequency or surface gravity. Was Einstein right? Scientists have been studying whether Einstein was right for years. His theory of relativity covers so many phenomena in the Universe that, with each new one that is discovered, an attempt is made to verify whether its predictions are fulfilled. Thanks to this first measurement of direct waves, it is believed that in the future it will be possible to study whether these black hole mergers obey the General Theory of Relativity. Basically, they want to check for the umpteenth time whether Einstein was right. Although for this we will first have to check if these direct waves can be detected together with other gravitational waves and, incidentally, if the resulting measurements are consistent with those that have been made now. This is just a start, but at least it is a small thread drawn from the tangle of mysteries that surrounds black holes. Image | NOIRLab In Xataka | The LIGO experiment could test Einstein’s theories. It won’t be easy

Tomorrow one of the most acclaimed Marvel superhero series of all time returns to Disney+

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Since the start of its cinematic incarnation, no adaptation of the X-Men had aroused as much expectation as the second season of ‘X-Men’97’which arrives this July 1st at Disney+. After the first season won Best Animated Series at the Critics’ Choice Awards, it became clear that this was not just another animated superhero series. Its secret: an exquisite balance between the nostalgia that it embraces from its very title and its own identity and quality that keep it standing without needing to appeal to the affection of fans. Just two years ago, ‘X-Men’97’ accumulated 4 million views in its first five days, becoming the biggest premiere of an animated series on the platform since ‘What If…?’ Although that has not turned it into a series with a massive following (its content is still a niche bet), its careful animation style, faithful to the original from the nineties but at the same time sufficiently current, has earned countless praise. The proof: the viewing of the original 1992 series on the platform has doubled since the premiere of this ‘X-Men’97’. The argument leads us to an intertemporal mess of those that (literally) make an epoch: from Ancient Egypt, where Xavier, Magneto, Rogue, Nightcrawler and the Beast are, to the year 3960, where Cyclops and Jean Gray meet future versions of their children. Apocalypse is the central antagonist this time, in a season that will have no trouble surpassing the poor live-action version from a few years ago. Among the acquisitions in the cast, Neve Campbell stands out as Polaris, daughter of Magneto. A quick look at the episode titles leads us to guess some of the scenarios and enemies that will be featured this season: there is a ‘Days of Past Future’ that obviously plays with the classic ‘Days of Future Past’); ‘A Force to Be Reckoned With’ introduces X-Force; ‘Rise of Apocalypse’ refers to one of the group’s most fearsome enemies; ‘Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs’ takes us back to Wolverine’s time as Weapon X; ‘Strange Land, Savage Heart’ is a reference to one of the fan-favorite settings, the Savage Land; and ‘The Dead Man’s Hand’ may be a nod to another long-awaited return, that of Gambit. Some confirmed secondary characters are Sabretooth, Mariko, Mental Butterfly, Archangel or Colossus, among many others. In Xataka | Today one of the platform’s most massive hits returns to Netflix: 60 million views and 6 weeks in the top 10

Every time a rocket ship fails, an industry grows. And China has just decided that it wants to be the owner and mistress

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In 2016, a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploded at Cape Canaveral destroying Israel’s Amos-6 communications satellite. Luckily, like when you get hit by a car while parking, there was insurance behind it that paid for the mess because the incident cost almost 300 million dollars. Because imagine that your latest and most ambitious project explodes and that as a consequence you end up bankrupt. Insurance is that industry that when everything goes well seems like a superfluous expense and that saves you when there is an accident. Applied to space, they move more than 4 billion dollars a year. Well, space insurance is undergoing a historic transformation: China has decided who no longer wants to be a mere customer, she wants to be the owner of the business. China goes from client to insurer. China had been insuring its satellites for years through the state insurer PICC, but part of the real risk was absorbed by the international market via reinsurance. So when ChinaSat-18 failed in 2019, it was foreign insurers that absorbed part of the hit, according to SpaceNews. China paid the premiums and London and Paris, where space reinsurance business is concentratedthey stayed with the business. Everything changed in March 2025: a consortium from Beijing covered 25 private launches for $1.47 billion in its first year, bringing together domestic insurers so that everything, money and control, stays at home, according to Caixin Global. It is the first consortium dedicated exclusively to the Chinese commercial aerospace sector. Why is it important. Because if there is no insurance, there is no investment and without that financing there are no rockets either. A fact: a geostationary satellite costs between 150 and 400 million dollars to manufacture and launch, according to the Satellite Industry Association. If there is a failure, the economic impact is tremendous and could lead to the bankruptcy of the operator, so having an insurance policy is a condition for any investor to dare to put money into a space project. Controlling space insurance is controlling who can take certain risks and how. The Chinese government is clear: according to the IISSShanghai allocated 300 million yuan in subsidies to the commercial aerospace sector in April 2025, and Beijing has announced targeted insurance premium subsidies for space companies. China replicates the move it has already used in semiconductors or batteries: state push to achieve strategic independence. Context. The space insurance market is growing simply because the commercial space sector is also growing, and because insurance is an essential condition for operating in it: Space Liability Convention of 1972 establishes that states are responsible for damages caused by their space objects. Lloyd’s of London has been insuring satellites since 1965 and for decades, this was a closed market dominated in Europe by companies such as Munich Re, Swiss Re or AXA XL. According to Orbital Radarthis market generates between 500 and 600 million in annual premiums and remains concentrated in London, Paris and Bermuda. SpaceX changed everything: more launches, lower unit cost, new risk profiles… and now new Chinese private launchers such as LandSpace, CAS Space, Space Pioneer bring a new transformation: everything stays at home, China cooks it and China eats it. In detail. As with cars, insurance premiums depend on the history of the rocket and here China has a potential gap to slip through: for new rockets with no history, the premiums are very high. Orbital Radar Explained that launch premiums range between 5% and 15% of the insured value depending on the vehicle and orbit. Therein lies the great advantage of the Chinese consortium: it can take risks where other insurers put their “buts.” A revealing fact: of 10,000 active satellites in orbit, only 300 have insurance, according to Space Insider. In fact, SpaceX does not even externally secure its own Starlink. Yes, but. The market that China wants to enter with everything is in trouble: in 2024 it paid more in claims than it earned in premiums, according to Insurance Business Magazineamong other things due to the loss of Intelsat 33e. And it’s going to get worse: space debris is growing faster than the ability to calculate it and here China is largely to blame. Furthermore, in accordance with the regulations OFAC of the US Department of the Treasury.when a Chinese rocket fails, American and European insurers can’t always pay: Western sanctions legally prohibit them from dealing with certain Chinese assets, so the market is fragmented. In Xataka | SpaceX has always been 10 years ahead of the competition. The problem is that in China that law no longer applies. In Xataka | The race to become “China’s SpaceX”: who’s who in its private space launch sector Cover | Ivan Diaz and zhang kaiyv

Mistral CEO warns Europe that time is running out to build its own AI infrastructure

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When the United States Claude Mythos blocks people from outside the USsends a clear message: it is a cutting-edge export technology subject to control, like chips are. And in that scenario, Europe is practically an observer: the old continent is a pioneer in legislating AIbut its infrastructure, business ecosystem around it, and LLM models are behind what the United States or China have. Simply put, Europe depends on third parties for the best AI. But that can change. A little less than a month ago, Arthur Mensch appeared in May 2026 before the French National Assembly with another very clear message: if Europe wants to stop being an observer and descend into the mud, it has to do it now. Time is running against them. The deadline given by the co-founder and CEO of the main European artificial intelligence company is short: two years. The warning from the CEO of Mistral AI. In his exhibition, Arthur Mensch gave a warning macroeconomic with concrete figures: Europe has approximately two years to build its own AI infrastructure, or it will be structurally subordinated to American technology companies. If it does not arrive in time, Europe will become “a vassal state.” The future if we don’t achieve this is dark: “Once the supply is monopolized by American companies, we will suddenly run out of supply and will no longer be able to transform electrons into tokens.” His argument is technical but with a political background: whoever controls the calculation controls the economy. AI is not just another digital service: it is the infrastructure on which everything else will work. Like electricity or roads, but privatized and in foreign hands. Why is it important. Because under this approach, being dependent on third-party AI is not only a mere technical issue, which is no small thing considering its use in critical sectors such as defense or banking, it is also a serious problem of productive sovereignty and balance of payments. The CEO of Mistral refers to AI as a strategic asset, in the same way that gas is. Europe had a hard time understanding the cost of its energy dependence on Russia and Mensch’s argument is that the old continent is making the same mistake. In statements to CNBCdelved into the impact on the macroeconomy: “You cannot afford a trade deficit of one trillion if you really want to remain competitive in the race” because every euro that Europe pays to US companies for AI services is financing the competitor’s R&D. And that money is not coming back. Furthermore, we have already seen that using AI will be increasingly expensive, so much so that There are companies like Uber or Microsoft cutting licenses. Imagine if what depends on AI is your safety. Context. The game board shows that Europe does not exactly start with a good hand: according to data from Epoch AI, collected both by the US Federal Reserve as by RAND Europethe United States controls 74% of global high-level computing for AI, China 14% and the EU just 4.8%. He Draghi report of September 2024 has already identified that much of the blame for Europe’s productivity gap with respect to the US lies in the technology sector, or rather, the absence of it. One year later, Draghi himself was pessimistic: barely had been fulfilled 11.2% of almost 400 recommendations. In detail. Europe has already started with the plan action plan called “AI Continent” which is committed to tripling the capacity of data centers and deploying up to five gigafactories, but the question is whether it will be enough and if it will arrive on time. Without going any further, the 500,000 chips in these gigafactories planned are very far from what there is in the US: by the end of 2025, OpenAI I had already planned exceed one million chips. Mensch did not stop at warnings, but made concrete proposals. The first of them: use public procurement as a lever. Given that 50% of European GDP is generated through public spending, it is clear that it is a magnificent instrument to catalyze this development. On the other hand, Mistral is exploring the development of its own chips and has already announced a new data center in France. Yes, but. The main argument against Mensch’s words is obvious: he is one of the major stakeholders in the policies he proposes. Mistral has 1,000 employees, a valuation of 12 billion euros, a target of 1 billion euros in revenue by the end of 2026, this year it has invested 1 billion in R&D and approximately 75% of its sales are in Europe. On the other hand and for the moment, not having your own servers does not mean not being able to use AI, of course, being clear that it is a third party who dictates the conditions, prices and limits of that access. In Xataka | Europe wanted to set an example to the world with its AI Law. What you are achieving is becoming evident In Xataka | To become technologically “independent” from the US, the European Union already has a plan: four desperate measures Cover | Flickr and Wikimedia Commons / ALEXANDRE LALLEMAND | Igor Omilaev | Markus Spiske

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