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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Antares achieves zero-power criticality at INL
Leveraging more than $140 million in private capital fundraising, over 322,000 square feet of operational manufacturing space, and multifaceted partnerships with the Departments of Energy and Defense, reactor start-up Antares has become the first company involved in the Reactor Pilot Program to achieve zero-power fueled criticality—a full month ahead of the July 4 deadline set by President Trump’s Executive Order 14301.
This milestone, announced yesterday, was achieved with the company’s Mark-0: a sodium heat-pipe-cooled, TRISO-fueled microreactor. The Mark-0 is a forerunner to the company’s flagship design, which it calls the R1. For Antares, this development represents a key validation of its reactor physics, control systems, and supply chain.
J. M. Blatz, P. Barrows, T. Gribb, D. M. Cech, G. Becerra, T. Kile, C. M. Jacobson, L. Jacobson, J. Giffey, R. Radel
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 79 | Number 6 | August 2023 | Pages 617-629
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2167458
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
There is a known demand for a fusion prototypic neutron source capable of emulating the neutron-induced damage caused by fusion. If no such source is developed in a timely and economical manner, the use of fusion as a source of energy will be hindered by material selection and qualification. Presented here is one possible path toward the development of a fusion prototypic neutron source by enhancing an operational neutron generator platform with so-called plasma windows. The use of plasma windows addresses a weakness in the current design by improving the pressure differential between acceleration and the target regions. This improvement, combined with the use of multiple beamlines, represents the possibility of dramatically increasing the fusion neutron flux capabilities of such a system.