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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Latest News
Second round of Launch Pad selections includes eight newcomers
The National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory has announced 13 project selections across 12 companies for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, a Department of Energy–led program that integrates reactor and fuel facility authorization, testing, and deployment support for private nuclear developers.
The Launch Pad emerged from the Reactor Pilot Program and Fuel Line Pilot Program.
According to INL, projects selected include reactor development and nuclear fuel cycle advancements, including fabrication, enrichment, and conversion technologies.
Randall B. Randolph, John A. Oertel, Derek W. Schmidt, Matthew N. Lee, Brian M. Patterson, Kevin C. Henderson, Christopher E. Hamilton
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 230-236
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-205
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Machined CH hemi-shell ablator capsules have been successfully produced by the MST-7 Target Fabrication Team at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Process development and micro-machining techniques have been developed to produce capsules for both the Omega and National Ignition Facility (NIF) campaigns. These capsules are gas filled up to 10 atm and consist of a machined plastic hemi-shell outer layer that accommodates various specially engineered low-density polystyrene foam cores. Machining and assembly of the two-part, step-jointed plastic hemi-shell outer layer required development of new techniques, processes, and tooling while still meeting very aggressive shot schedules for both campaigns. Problems encountered and process improvements will be discussed that describe this very unique, complex capsule design approach through the first Omega proof-of-concept version to the larger NIF version.