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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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May 2026
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2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
April 27–30, 2026
Dayton, OH|The Dayton Convention Center
Rian Bahran U.S. DOE
Stephen Bowen NASA astronaut
Nigel BannisterSpace Park Leicester
Megan DillonNC State Univ.
Bhavya LalGeorgetown University
Ralph McNuttJohns Hopkins University
Aaron MilesWhite House OSTP
Clive NealUniv. Notre Dame
Chemical rockets got us off the ground, but they won’t keep us alive on the Moon or get us to Mars in record time. The next era of deep space exploration demands the unrivaled, relentless power of the atom.
Welcome to the Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS) community. Space nuclear technology is no longer a 1960s blueprint; we are operating in a heavily backed renaissance driven by aggressive national space policies, hard government mandates, and massive strategic investments.
This is where the laboratory meets the boardroom and the briefing room. We bring together the visionary engineers building the hardware, the policymakers writing the standards, and the agency leaders deploying the capital. When NASA, the DOE, the DOW, and the commercial aerospace sector need to align on the future of space power, they do it here.
We are the premier community architecting the complete deep-space infrastructure:
Whether you are engineering the hardware, writing the policy, or setting the standards that will turn science fiction into an operational reality, your voice belongs here. Join us as we build the infrastructure of the cosmos.
Register today to join the conversation and help shape the future of space nuclear!
Enhance your visibility at the NETS 2026 by becoming a sponsor. All sponsors are recognized on the conference website and in promotional communication, acknowledged at the Opening Plenary and on signage displayed throughout the conference. Sponsorship packages are limited, so reserve your sponsorship package early. Download the Prospectus