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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
Christopher J. Steffen, Jr., Joshua E. Freeh, Diane L. Linne, Eric W. Faykus, Christopher A. Gallo, Robert D. Green
Nuclear Technology | Volume 166 | Number 3 | June 2009 | Pages 240-251
Technical Paper | 2007 Space Nuclear Conference / Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A8838
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method for estimating the mass and fission surface power requirements of a lunar oxygen production facility is introduced. The individual modeling components involve the chemical processing and cryogenic storage subsystems needed to process a beneficiated regolith stream into liquid oxygen via ilmenite reduction. The power can be supplied from one of six different fission reactor-converter systems. A baseline system analysis, capable of producing 15 tonnes/yr of oxygen, is presented. The influence of reactor-converter choice was seen to have a small but measurable impact on the system configuration and performance. Finally, the mission concept of operations can have a substantial impact upon individual component size and power requirements.