India just cracked the space race to the south pole of the moon, becoming the first country to successfully complete the feat. The Indian Space Research Organization was able to safely land an unmanned probe on the south pole of the moon, notorious for its rough and unexplored terrain. This comes just days after Russia’s spacecraft — the country’s first mission to the moon in 50 years — crashed in an unsuccessful attempt. India’s achievement is especially impressive given that its space funding budget — USD 1.5 bn — is 6% of NASA’s budget, which stands at USD 26 bn.
The importance of the lunar south pole is due to its available water resources, which scientists and engineers hope will facilitate missions to other parts of the solar system as well as become a natural resource during long-term settlements on the moon. Water on the moon’s surface was likely created by asteroid strikes, forming glass beads from the extreme high temperature, and irradiated by a reaction with solar winds. While these beads only range from a few micrometers to a few millimeters, scientists estimate that 71 tn gallons of water can be found on the moon.
Meta’s Threads is starting to roll out its web version, Threads.net , with the website currently up and running but not yet available for everyone, according to CNBC. The move comes as part of a focus to improve Threads before monetizing it, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on an earnings call, according to CNBC.The strategy is for Threads to be a “a vibrant long-term app” by being more accessible to users and closely resembles X (formerly Twitter). This comes after the app was criticized for its poor design and lack of the search feature that made its contender much more appealing.
You can’t impulse buy a Ferrari, and CEO Benedetto Vigna doesn’t want you to. The iconic car manufacturer has a waiting list of a whopping three years and zero plans to increase production to meet demand, Vigna told CNBC. The CEO believes that the value of their cars comes from their exclusivity, saying that making more just for growth’s sake would be “offensive.” In 2022, Ferrari increased manufacturing by 18.5%, producing just over 13k cars, though analysts believe the company could sell twice as many cars as they make. While its ethos is built on inaccessibility, as most luxury brands are, these limitations on sales don’t appear to be putting a damper on its performance, with Ferrari shares up 44% y-o-y.
The company’s new client base is starting to skew younger, with 30% of new Ferrari clients aged below 40 — while their client base has expanded for 10 consecutive quarters. This hints at a fresh supply of loyal customers, signifying that, according to Vigna, “the prancing horse is kicking strong.” Part of Ferrari’s brand is its scarcity, and not being able to buy one easily, or quickly, is part of its official corporate policy. Vigna describes it as an “experience” that begins the first time you see a Ferrari.