The moon’s south pole is littered with craters, can get colder than –300 degrees Fahrenheit, and hasn’t seen a lick of sunlight in billions of years.

It’s also the trendiest destination in the solar system.

This week, Russia and India were racing to become the first country to land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole, which, despite its hostile climate, could have significant commercial and geopolitical value for any Earthly power looking to extend its reach into space.

It didn’t go well for Russia. Yesterday, its Luna-25 spacecraft crashed while attempting a moon landing, or as Russia’s dejected space agency put it, the vehicle “ceased to exist.” It’s a major setback for a country that was the first to land a spacecraft on the moon in 1966 but hadn’t launched a lunar mission in 47 years.

India’s up next: Its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has arrived in the neighborhood and will try to touch down on Wednesday. If successful, it’d be a first for India and a credibility boost for its small-but-growing space program. India has set aside only $1.5 billion for its Department of Space, compared to NASA’s budget of ~$25 billion, per the WSJ.

But why go to the dark side of the moon?

Because there’s ice. Ice, which melts and turns into water, could be pivotal for two reasons:

• It’s necessary for supporting human settlements in space, something NASA is trying to do with its Artemis missions in this decade.
• Water could also be used to make rocket fuel, establishing the moon as a literal launching pad for missions to deeper parts of the solar system, like Mars.

Using the moon’s natural resources to sustain human colonies and dial up future launches is key to unlocking the next generation of space exploration. Think about the $6 delivery fee for your Uber Eats order, and then consider the expense and time required to ship materials ~238,000 miles from the Earth to the moon.

“In-situ resource utilization,” which is the official term for exploiting the moon’s resources, is one area of the space industry where private sector companies see loads of opportunity. For example, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin was just awarded a $35 million contract from NASA to develop solar cells out of lunar regolith, the crushed-up rock material that covers the entire lunar surface.

LiquidPiston grew their revenue 156% last year—because that’s what happens when you create a once-in-a-generation engine innovation. See what happens when you invest in the company.

They’re making engines up to 80% smaller, 30% more fuel efficient, and 10x more powerful. And their engine platform can scale to meet various needs across markets like defense, aviation, drones, automotive, and more.

LiquidPiston engines are also capable of running on zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, which is timely since giants like Toyota and BMW have started moving toward hydrogen-powered cars.

Profitable and with $30m in US government funding so far, LiquidPiston is well on their way to commercializing their tech.

Invest in LiquidPiston as they revolutionize the $400b combustion engine market.

Hilary drenches western Mexico and California. Hilary became the first tropical storm to hit normally sunny Southern California in 84 years, making landfall on the Baja California peninsula yesterday morning and moving north to drench the Southwestern US. Desert areas east of the major cities that barely experience any precipitation, such as Palm Springs, CA, were soaked with more rainfall yesterday than they usually see in over half of a year. Hundreds of flights out of Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix were canceled or delayed, while large school districts shut down classes for Monday. We were also given our first Word of the Day: hurriquake. As Hilary rained down on SoCal, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake shook the area, though no major damage was immediately reported.

As wildfires rage, Canada calls on Meta to lift news ban. Canadian leaders urged Meta to reverse its domestic news ban in the country because it’s hindering people from sharing important information about wildfires spreading across the Northwest Territories. In June, Meta began to block the sharing of news on Facebook and Instagram in the country after the Canadian government passed a law requiring tech companies like Meta to pay news publishers for articles shared on their platforms. In Yellowknife, a city of 20,000 people that was evacuated, people were reportedly posting screenshots of emergency intel to Facebook since they couldn’t share links.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive is getting bogged down. More than two months after Ukraine began its push to win back territory from Russia, the US is increasingly doubtful that it will make sizeable gains, raising the prospect of a war that could extend years, the FT reported. Ukraine did secure a W on Friday when, after much prodding by Kyiv, the US allowed Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. But US public support for Ukraine is waning, and President Biden will need to secure congressional approval for another aid package in a few weeks.

In a little over a month since joining Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has far exceeded the lofty expectations set for him, boosting the fortunes of his team, Major League Soccer, and brands basking in the glow of his superstardom.

On Saturday night, Messi scored his tenth goal in seven games, and his team, Inter Miami (which was really bad before he joined), won the Leagues Cup tournament in penalties. With his 44th trophy, Messi became the most decorated soccer player ever.

The secondary effects of Messi’s magnificent month have been astounding.

• Apple: Subscriptions to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ have more than doubled since Messi joined Inter Miami, one of the team owners tweeted. In a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he “could not be happier with how the partnership is going.”
• Jersey sales: Messi’s now-iconic pink Inter Miami jersey was the top seller across all sports for Fanatics last month, the WaPo reported, and an Adidas spokesperson told Reuters that demand for Messi’s jersey in Miami “has been truly unprecedented.”
• Ticket prices: Much like Swifties did for the Eras Tour, fans around the country have packed stadiums when Messi comes to town, sending ticket prices skyrocketing more than 1,700% on resale sites. In a game that sans Messi would have drawn a sparse crowd, last week’s Philadelphia vs. Inter Miami match had standing-room-only tickets going for $241 and field-level seats for $16,200.
• Social media: Inter Miami’s Instagram account has grown to over 14 million followers, more than any team in the NFL, NHL, or MLB.

Bottom line: There may be one person benefiting most from Messi’s dominant play—Messi himself. Due to his unique contract structure with Inter Miami, Messi gets a cut of the revenue he brings to Adidas and Apple.

Auto workers will vote on a strike. The 150,000 US members of the United Auto Workers union will vote this week on whether to authorize a strike, which would jack up the pressure on the Big 3 Detroit automakers during tense labor negotiations. The UAW’s contract with the car companies expires on Sept. 14.

Debate szn is here. The first GOP presidential primary debate will take place in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Seven candidates have qualified to take the stage, but former President Trump, who leads opponents by almost 40 points in recent polls, will skip the event for an interview with Tucker Carlson.

Get your money from Zuck. The deadline to claim your piece of Meta’s $725 million class-action settlement over Cambridge Analytica is Friday. If you were a Facebook user between May 2007 and December 2022, fill out this form.

Everything else…

• Bishop Sycamore, a “high school” football team that conned its way into playing on ESPN, gets the HBO documentary treatment on Wednesday.
• Burning Man starts on Sunday in the Nevada desert, but the festival doesn’t seem to be a hot ticket this year. Tix are being listed for far below face value.
• The college football season kicks off on Saturday. In many ways, it will be the end of an era.

Stat: Unlike Tom Wambsgans, other Americans aren’t snobby about their sushi. The grocery store operator Kroger is the biggest purveyor of sushi in the country, selling more than 40 million pieces per year, according to the WSJ. The company realized it was No.1 back in 2020 and in the past three years has ramped up its sushi offerings to claim even more market share (“When customers think of sushi, we want them to think of Kroger,” one exec said). But it’s not just Kroger—grocery stores across the US are benefiting from consumers choosing an $8.99 California roll over an omakase date night. Sushi sales at US retailers have risen more than 70% in the past year, per Circana.

Quote: “You left absolutely nothing out there @Lionesses.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak offered words of encouragement—but maybe not the kind he intended—after the English women’s national team was defeated by Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday (he probably meant “everything” instead of “nothing”). Spain’s first Women’s World Cup victory set off celebrations around the country and concluded a tournament that broke TV and attendance records.

Read: Have we reached peak coffee? (Financial Times)

Learn: The YouTube channel LEMMiNO explores enduring mysteries, like the JFK assassination and flight MH370, with clear analysis and compelling graphics.

Watch: Sound effects for Snoopy making pizza.

Read: The 50 worst decisions in TV history.

Call: the Peptoc Hotline, which features life advice and pump-up messages from elementary school kids in California.

Level up: Master cutting-edge concepts in just 15 minutes a day with Brilliant’s bite-sized lessons in computer science, math, and more. Join 10m+ other curious minds and try it free for 30 days.*

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Turntable: If one Word of the Day doesn’t satisfy you, try finding the 46 words in today’s Turntable jumble. Play it here.

32 trivia

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 32. It’s my 32nd birthday, so I’ve made today’s trivia all about the number 32.

1. This NBA Hall of Famer wore No. 32 for the Utah Jazz.
2. Most adults have 32 of which body part?
3. This says, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”
4. 32 is 2 to what power?
5. What is the element with atomic number 32? It sounds a lot like a European country.
6. How many of the four major North American sports leagues have 32 teams?
7. What can take 32 steps, according to a legend about King Ludwig of Bavaria in 1336?