nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Hinterlands: seabed diplomacy gains importance, how genAI could supercharge space flight, and microplastics reach Antarctica. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
The seabed is not only a source for critical metals such as cobalt and nickel, but also for geopolitical tensions as both the U.S. and China seek to explore the unexplored. In February 2025, China signed a deal to search for seabed minerals in the Cook Islands—granting $4 million to the small island that has “... perhaps the largest primary cobalt ore body in the world.” Although no mining certificate was granted, and Prime Minister Mark Brown insists the sector will maintain its strict regulations, New Zealand—the island’s neighbor and primary benefactor—was not advised and plans to analyze the pact.
New Zealand advises on defense and security for the self–governing island, whose people hold dual citizenship. Following the controversial pact, locals protested to uphold ties with New Zealand, citing concerns the pact could increase China’s naval presence and potentially block Australia’s access—a reality that deeply worries Japan and the U.S. who fought “savage battles” in these same areas during World War II.
In fact, seabed politics are deeply entrenched in past and current geopolitical affairs. The U.S.–China rivalry is a main motivator for the Trump Administration to explore seabed mining; Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to ween the U.S. off of China–supplied critical minerals, and several mining enthusiasts have already been appointed to his cabinet.
While conservationists stress the threat mining poses to the marine ecosystem, politicians will continue the fight to be first.
Can Generative AI get us to Mars?
While many discuss how Generative AI can improve workplace efficiency, others have been working on how it can help us get to Mars. Boeing Engineer Frank Morales Aguilera recently discussed a proof–of–concept (POC system) that is being developed using OpenAI’s GPT–4 to automate space flight planning. Specifically, the system plans to generate flight plans for missions to the Moon and Mars focusing on launch windows, fuel efficiency, and radiation exposure. The potential of using large language models (LLM) for mission planning paired with ideal launch windows opening up in 2026 and 2028, makes the topic of this non–partisan planet one to monitor closely.
Aguilera writes that the system relies on the SpaceFlightPlanningAgent class, which uses GPT–4 via OpenAI’s Chat Completions API to generate structured flight plans. By segmenting key components—launch timing, maneuvers, trajectory, contingencies, and communication—it optimizes LLM focus and minimizes context window limitations. (View Aguilera’s code here.)
Despite challenges, Aguilera gives the POC system his vote of confidence for automating some aspects of space flight planning in the future.
As NASA continues to run into hurdles for continued space exploration, and everchanging administrations present both promise and problems, could this type of automation be key to a mission to Mars?
No corner of the planet untouched: Microplastics found in Antarctic snow
Avoiding synthetic fabrics may seem impossible, but it may be a necessary swap for our environmental and ecological future. Thanks to their versatility, plastics, and their pesty successor microplastics, have infiltrated even the most remote areas of the world—with concentrations ranging from 73 to 3,099 L−1 (particles per liter) found in Antarctic snow across three field camps. The 6 February press release states that a new technique enables researchers to identify microplastics as small as 11 micrometers (roughly the size of a red blood cell), allowing for more accurate measurements than ever before: The 2025 estimate is over 100 times higher than initial projections of 29 particles L−1 .
In 2022, researchers first discovered microplastics in Antarctic snow. The most common type was fibers and PET—leading them to believe that marker flags, and other materials frequently used at field camps, were the source. Dr. Clara Manno, an ocean ecologist who worked on the 2025 study, echoed this but also stated it’s still unclear how much of the pollution is local (e.g. ropes, flags, outdoor clothing) versus transported.
Some scientists believe the microplastics will impact the snow’s albedo, and thus, how fast it melts. As for wildlife, microplastics have already been detected in seals, fish species, and some penguins and could be limiting the transfer of carbon to the seafloor, a process driven by krill.
Finding plastic in one of the most remote corners of the planet suggests humans have left little untouched. To better understand plastic pollution and its environmental impacts, researchers must continue to study Antarctica and surrounding waters.
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Seabed diplomacy stirs global currents of cooperation and conflict
Sunset view from the Cook Islands. Image via Pixabay.
March 11, 2025
Diplomatic Courier editor Melissa Metos brings you three under–the–radar stories from the Hinterlands: the rise of seabed diplomacy, genAI’s influence on our interstellar future, and microplastics in Antarctica.
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nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Hinterlands: seabed diplomacy gains importance, how genAI could supercharge space flight, and microplastics reach Antarctica. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
The seabed is not only a source for critical metals such as cobalt and nickel, but also for geopolitical tensions as both the U.S. and China seek to explore the unexplored. In February 2025, China signed a deal to search for seabed minerals in the Cook Islands—granting $4 million to the small island that has “... perhaps the largest primary cobalt ore body in the world.” Although no mining certificate was granted, and Prime Minister Mark Brown insists the sector will maintain its strict regulations, New Zealand—the island’s neighbor and primary benefactor—was not advised and plans to analyze the pact.
New Zealand advises on defense and security for the self–governing island, whose people hold dual citizenship. Following the controversial pact, locals protested to uphold ties with New Zealand, citing concerns the pact could increase China’s naval presence and potentially block Australia’s access—a reality that deeply worries Japan and the U.S. who fought “savage battles” in these same areas during World War II.
In fact, seabed politics are deeply entrenched in past and current geopolitical affairs. The U.S.–China rivalry is a main motivator for the Trump Administration to explore seabed mining; Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to ween the U.S. off of China–supplied critical minerals, and several mining enthusiasts have already been appointed to his cabinet.
While conservationists stress the threat mining poses to the marine ecosystem, politicians will continue the fight to be first.
Can Generative AI get us to Mars?
While many discuss how Generative AI can improve workplace efficiency, others have been working on how it can help us get to Mars. Boeing Engineer Frank Morales Aguilera recently discussed a proof–of–concept (POC system) that is being developed using OpenAI’s GPT–4 to automate space flight planning. Specifically, the system plans to generate flight plans for missions to the Moon and Mars focusing on launch windows, fuel efficiency, and radiation exposure. The potential of using large language models (LLM) for mission planning paired with ideal launch windows opening up in 2026 and 2028, makes the topic of this non–partisan planet one to monitor closely.
Aguilera writes that the system relies on the SpaceFlightPlanningAgent class, which uses GPT–4 via OpenAI’s Chat Completions API to generate structured flight plans. By segmenting key components—launch timing, maneuvers, trajectory, contingencies, and communication—it optimizes LLM focus and minimizes context window limitations. (View Aguilera’s code here.)
Despite challenges, Aguilera gives the POC system his vote of confidence for automating some aspects of space flight planning in the future.
As NASA continues to run into hurdles for continued space exploration, and everchanging administrations present both promise and problems, could this type of automation be key to a mission to Mars?
No corner of the planet untouched: Microplastics found in Antarctic snow
Avoiding synthetic fabrics may seem impossible, but it may be a necessary swap for our environmental and ecological future. Thanks to their versatility, plastics, and their pesty successor microplastics, have infiltrated even the most remote areas of the world—with concentrations ranging from 73 to 3,099 L−1 (particles per liter) found in Antarctic snow across three field camps. The 6 February press release states that a new technique enables researchers to identify microplastics as small as 11 micrometers (roughly the size of a red blood cell), allowing for more accurate measurements than ever before: The 2025 estimate is over 100 times higher than initial projections of 29 particles L−1 .
In 2022, researchers first discovered microplastics in Antarctic snow. The most common type was fibers and PET—leading them to believe that marker flags, and other materials frequently used at field camps, were the source. Dr. Clara Manno, an ocean ecologist who worked on the 2025 study, echoed this but also stated it’s still unclear how much of the pollution is local (e.g. ropes, flags, outdoor clothing) versus transported.
Some scientists believe the microplastics will impact the snow’s albedo, and thus, how fast it melts. As for wildlife, microplastics have already been detected in seals, fish species, and some penguins and could be limiting the transfer of carbon to the seafloor, a process driven by krill.
Finding plastic in one of the most remote corners of the planet suggests humans have left little untouched. To better understand plastic pollution and its environmental impacts, researchers must continue to study Antarctica and surrounding waters.
