Lunar navigation launched, and other technology news you need to know

A Spanish technology company has launched a GPS-like navigation system that could revolutionize how astronauts and rovers travel across the moon's surface.

LUPIN, designed by tech firm GMV and part of a European Space Agency programme, aims to make lunar missions as simple as using Sat Nav on Earth.

Lunar navigation relies on complex calculations and data transmitted from Earth, resulting in delays and imprecision. LUPIN works by utilizing GPS-like signals from moon-orbiting satellites, enabling rovers and astronauts to instantly determine their position.

The technology underwent field trials in Fuerteventura, Spain, which has landscapes that appear similar to the moon's surface.

Project director Steven Kay told Reuters: "With this software, we bring Europe closer to establishing a presence of humans on the moon, and potentially this would be a stepping stone towards Mars exploration."

The European Union (EU) needs to quadruple its investment in semiconductor technology and establish a dedicated budget for the sector, according to industry group SEMI.

In its formal feedback to the EU’s upcoming investment plans, SEMI urged the bloc to allocate $22 billion to the entire semiconductor supply chain, reports Reuters.

The EU is currently developing its long-term financial strategy for 2028 to 2034, with a budget announcement expected in July. Industry groups and lawmakers called for a "Chips Act 2.0" in March.

Despite the EU’s goal to capture 20% of the global chip market by 2030, a recent audit found this target unrealistic at current funding levels. So far, the European Commission has contributed only $5 billion.

It comes as the UK opened a new facility - the first of its kind in Europe - to build the next generation of semiconductor chips.

The E-beam lithography facility uses electron beam technology to enhance accuracy. The semiconductor sector contributes an estimated $13.2 billion to the UK economy each year, which is projected to almost double to $22.5 billion by 2030, according to the government.

Amazon has created a robot with the sense of touch. Vulcan, designed to help humans sort items for storage and prepare them for delivery, will be deployed in the next few years in what Aaron Parness, Amazon’s director of robotics, called a “fundamental leap forward in robotics”.

It comes as the company also launched its first 27 satellites into space as part of Project Kuiper - a $10 billion initiative to beam broadband internet across the globe.

Scientists in China have created the world's "smallest, lightest" robot, inspired by Lego, which could be used in disaster rescue operations.

It follows news that the world's first "robot half marathon" took place in Beijing, in April, with 21 robots running alongside thousands of human competitors for the 13-mile course.

A Soviet-era spacecraft returned to Earth after 53 years in orbit. It's thought the titanium-encased Kosmos 482 made an uncontrolled re-entry over the Indian Ocean.

China has created a nuclear reactor that can be refuelled while it's running - and uses thorium instead of uranium as a fuel, MIT Technology Review reports.

The UK has announced a $1.33 billion funding deal to create a gigafactory to enable Japanese firm AESC to manufacture electric vehicle batteries. The facility in Sunderland would provide batteries for up to 100,000 EVs per year - a six-fold increase on current capacity.

South Korean technology company Samsung has warned US tariffs may impact demand for smartphones.

Changes to UK regulations could soon allow drones to fly beyond the line of sight, to deliver medicines to remote areas and inspect offshore wind turbines and oil rigs, The Guardian reports.

The European Space Agency launched its Biomass satellite into orbit on 29 April, designed to measure the height and volume of vegetation, to calculate the amount of forest biomass - and how much carbon is stored within it. Watch the video below to find out more.

Assisted vehicles, rather than autonomous ones, will dominate new personal vehicle capabilities through 2035 and beyond, according to the Forum's new Autonomous Vehicles: Timeline and Roadmap Ahead white paper. It also finds that large-scale robotaxi deployments will remain limited to select global cities for the next decade.

Recent trademark filings and product launches show AI companies are targeting the physical world with wearables and robots, writes Cathy Hackl, CEO, Spatial Dynamics. This move into spatial computing requires a huge amount of advanced data. A new AI frontier is emerging, in which the physical and digital worlds draw closer together through spatial computing.