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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Chris Wagner: The role of Eden Radioisotopes in the future of nuclear medicine
Chris Wagner has more than 40 years of experience in nuclear medicine, beginning as a clinical practitioner before moving into leadership roles at companies like Mallinckrodt (now Curium) and Nordion. His knowledge of both the clinical and the manufacturing sides of nuclear medicine laid the groundwork for helping to found Eden Radioisotopes, a start-up venture that intends to make diagnostic and therapeutic raw material medical isotopes like molybdenum-99 and lutetium-177.
Jericho W. Locke, Bhavya Lal
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 8 | August 2020 | Pages 1109-1119
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1680080
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Since the 1950s, the U.S. government has developed and launched a number of space-based nuclear systems based on both decay of radioisotopes and fission. While private entities have supported the development and launch of nuclear payloads as contractors, the federal government funded and drove the development and operation of such systems. In recent years, the private sector has developed interest in leading the development, launch, and use of nuclear technologies for space applications. This growth mirrors similar trends toward commercialization in the space sector as a whole. This paper investigates that private sector interest in space nuclear systems based on interviews with over a dozen companies in the space and nuclear industries. It presents a definition of commercial space activities, develops a model for the commercial use of space nuclear systems, and explores the status of commercial space nuclear activities in the United States. Our research finds that private sector capabilities in developing, testing, and operating space nuclear systems are growing but require the development of advanced nuclear technology, growth and diversification of the space economy, and government regulatory action.