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April 23, 2026, 9:53AMNuclear NewsA Nuclear News photo feature

Kate Kelly, president of BWXT Advanced Technologies (front row, in orange blazer), stands with the team that designed and built the engineering demonstration unit at the BWXT Innovation Campus in Lynchburg, Va., in January 2025. (Photo: BWXT)

Nuclear rocket propulsion has been investigated for decades, and NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission carried out significant testing in the 1960s as part of the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application program. NERVA chased the potential of the efficiency and energy density of nuclear thermal propulsion to extend our reach to new space frontiers before the program ended in 1973.

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Milestone for Zeno Power’s space nuclear battery

April 21, 2026, 3:58PMNuclear News

Earlier today, Zeno Power announced the completion of the final design review for an americium-241–fueled radioisotope power system (RPS) developed for Harmonia RPS, a NASA Artemis Tipping...

A year in orbit: ISS deployment tests radiation detectors for future space missions

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The predawn darkness on a cool Florida night was shattered by the ignition of nine Merlin engines on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The thrust of the engines shook the ground miles away. From a...

OSTP memo guides space nuclear plan

April 16, 2026, 12:00PMNuclear News

A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum released on Tuesday guides NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense on their roles in deploying...

NASA announces plan for space nuclear propulsion by 2028

March 25, 2026, 1:01PMNuclear News

Yesterday NASA announced a series of initiatives, including plans to launch a nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft to Mars in December 2028 and a three-phase plan to establish a lunar base...

Highlights from the 2025 ANS State of the Nuclear Workforce survey

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Last year was marked by a general air of excitement across the nuclear sector. From conference halls to board rooms, momentum manifested in numerous new project announcements, robust federal...

NS Savannah soon open to the public

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The world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, the NS Savannah, will have a public site visit in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, February 21.To register for the event and find up-to-date...

ORNL translates corrosion science expertise with new capabilities

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The newest addition to Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s materials research facilities is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this year now that construction is complete and...

Nano Nuclear releases RFI for Loki lunar ambitions

January 16, 2026, 12:38PMNuclear News

Nuclear power in space is back in the news for the second time this week as microreactor start-up Nano Nuclear has released a request for information to identify organizations that may support...

NASA, DOE solidify collaboration on a lunar surface reactor

January 14, 2026, 9:35AMNuclear News

NASA and the Department of Energy have announced a “renewed commitment” to their mutual goal of supporting research and development for a nuclear fission reactor on the lunar surface to...

World Nuclear Energy Day is upon us

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The sixth annual World Nuclear Energy Day is being celebrated today following its inception in 2020. In recognition, here is a throwback to an Atomic Energy Commission cartoon from the early...

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center hosts nuclear propulsion cold-flow tests

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