Nuclear technology

As NASA shifts its gaze back to the Moon and sets its sights on Mars and beyond in the coming decades, the agency is rethinking the means by which we’ll get there. After previously announcing a collaboration between NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for a nuclear-powered rocketintended for long-distance space travel, the two agencies have now selected Lockheed Martin to develop a demonstration.Samsung Galaxy Fold 5: Hands-on first Impressions of Samsung's Big-Screen Flagship FoldableThe…

Some of the world’s largest most influential nations have formed an alliance to create new supply chains for nuclear energy—the same weekend that another country announced it had completely weaned itself off the energy source.This Summer’s Hottest UmbrellaAt the meeting of the G7 this weekend, leaders of nuclear trade associations from the U.S., UK, Canada, Japan, and France announced they will work together to create supply chains for nuclear fuels that do not rely on Russia.When it comes to nuclear fuel, Russia’s supply…

As humanity resets its gaze toward Moon, British aerospace company Rolls-Royce Holdings is continuing its work on developing nuclear power sources for spaceflight and exploration. Today, the company announced funding from the U.K. Space Agency to further research and develop a nuclear reactor that’s meant to power a future base on the Moon.The U.K. Space Agency provided Rolls-Royce Holdings with £2.9 million, which isabout $3.5 million USD, according to a press release from the agency. Rolls-Royce elaborated in its…

Steam rises from the cooling towers at the Vogtle plant.Photo: John Bazemore (AP)It’s official: One of the new towers at the Vogtle power plant has started splitting atoms. The step brings the troubled plant in Georgia, which is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, closer to providing an enormous amount of carbon-free power to the grid.Westinghouse, the designer and operator of the two pressurized water reactors, said in a press release Monday that Unit 3 of the Vogtle plant had started the nuclear…

A group of cities in the Western U.S. have voted to move ahead with a new nuclear project that could help revolutionize how clean power is generated in this country—despite sharply rising costs for the project.On Tuesday, a group of 26 cities in Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, and Nevada saidthey wanted to continue with their investment in what could become the U.S.’s first cluster of small modular reactors. NuScale, the company behind the project, told the group in January that costs for the energy generated by the planned…

The U.S. has just given the green light to its first-ever small modular nuclear design, a promising step forward for a power source that remains controversial among some climate advocates but is experiencing a popular renaissance.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the design, which was published Thursday in the Federal Register, from NuScale, an Oregon-based reactor company. The publication of the design in the Register allows utilities to select this type of reactor when applying for a license to build a new…

Image: RHJPhtotos (Shutterstock)Police reassured Heathrow Airport passengers on Tuesday that there is no threat at the airport after border patrol discovered small amounts of uranium in metal bars shipped to the UK from Pakistan in late December. The shipment was reportedly sent on a passenger plane and was reportedly intended to reach a UK-based Iranian business.While uranium is a dangerous and harmful chemical in large quantities, Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that the amount found in the shipment was “extremely small”…

Posters displaying radiation emergency information began appearing in PATH trains and stations this September amidst ongoing talk of an impending nuclear attack. Image: Kevin Hagen (Getty Images)The potential for a nuclear armageddon has seemingly increased in recent months, much to the confusion and worry of some of the American public. That potential appears to be crystallizing into a legitimate concern for the U.S. government, which recently announced the purchase of a drug used in radiological and nuclear emergencies.…

An illustration of a potential design for a fission system that could power astronauts’ stay on the Moon.Illustration: NASANASA wants to build and transport a nuclear reactor to the Moon, which would power a sustained human presence for at least 10 years. To that end, the space agency has chosen three companies to develop design concepts for a nuclear fission system to be placed on the Moon in conjunction with the Artemis program. On Tuesday, NASA announced that it had awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse,…