Join us in Washington, D.C., for the next event in our orbital data centers series

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A senior Chinese space scientist and delegate to the country’s national congress is proposing the prioritization of an unprecedented orbiter mission to ice giant Neptune.

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A widespread demand for nuclear power has led some to call this period a “nuclear renaissance,” one that will continue to build momentum in 2026. This growing need is being […]

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Zeno Power has signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Orano, a French nuclear recycler, to lock in a steady supply of americium-241 to fuel the U.S. startup’s long-duration space batteries.

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NASA is moving ahead with plans to support development of a lunar nuclear power system with an emphasis on commercialization.

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For more than six decades, the United States has pursued the promise of nuclear power in space — a technology capable of delivering energy where sunlight can’t reach and enabling missions beyond the limits of chemical propulsion. Yet since a brief reactor flight in 1965, no fission reactor has operated in orbit.

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A new NASA directive to accelerate development of a nuclear reactor for the moon has is aggressive but achievable, industry officials believe.

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A new study recommends that the United States pursue rapid development of a space nuclear power system to keep pace with geopolitical rivals.

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When reporters revisit President John F. Kennedy’s address to a joint session of Congress in 1961, it is often framed as a bold moment of promises made — and ultimately […]

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The funding round was led by Hanaco Ventures and other space and defense-focused investors

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In this week's episode of Space Minds, Bhavya Lal, the former acting Chief Technologist at NASA explains how nuclear power could unlock humanity's next giant leap in space.

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Exlabs and Antares announced a strategic partnership March 19 to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft for deep-space missions.

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Zeno Power Systems is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy to recycle decades-old radioactive material to produce radioisotope power sources.

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Intuitive Machines, Lockheed Martin and Westinghouse Government Services won contracts from the Air Force Research Laboratory to advance technologies for nuclear powered space vehicles.

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Advocates of nuclear power systems for lunar exploration are calling on NASA to find ways to continue development amid fiscal challenges and competing priorities.

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Zeno Power Systems, a startup developing a propulsion system that uses radioisotopes, was awarded a $30 million contract to demonstrate the technology on a U.S. military satellite.

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Rolls-Royce today announces it has secured funding from UK Space Agency, as it backs research by Rolls-Royce into how nuclear power could be used to support a future Moon base […]

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China has laid out its pathway for robotic and crewed lunar and deep space exploration, with a number of missions building towards a permanent moon base.

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A Chinese nuclear reactor for providing power and propulsion in outer space has passed a comprehensive performance evaluation, according to reports.

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The Defense Innovation Unit announced May 17 it selected Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. and Avalanche to develop small nuclear-powered spacecraft for in-space demonstrations planned for 2027.

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Nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses heat from nuclear reactions as fuel, could be used one day in human spaceflight, possibly even for missions to Mars. Its development, however, poses a […]

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The Defense Innovation Unit last week issued a call for bids for small nuclear-powered engines for space missions beyond Earth orbit.

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As Congress prepares NASA’s budget for fiscal year 2022, it has a valuable opportunity to ensure that America remains the world’s leader in sustainable space exploration by continuing to fund the development of advanced space nuclear technology.

The post Op-ed | America’s permanent and resilient presence in space will be nuclear powered appeared first on SpaceNews.

Less than a month after issuing a policy directive on space nuclear power, the White House released an executive order Jan. 12 seeking to promote the development of small nuclear reactors for space and defense applications.

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