Ultra Safe Nuclear has been funded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to demonstrate a chargeable, encapsulated nuclear radioisotope battery (called EmberCore) for propulsion and power applications in space. This ‘next-gen’ radioisotope system will be able to scale to 10x higher power levels, compared to plutonium systems, and provide more than 1 million kilowatt hours …
Avalanche is a VC-backed, fusion energy start-up based in Seattle, WA. They are designing, testing and building micro-fusion reactors that you can hold in your hand. Their modular reactor design can be stacked for endless power applications and unprecedented energy density to provide clean energy and decarbonize the planet. Avalanche is developing a 5kWe power …
Zap Energy creating the first plasmas in their FuZE-Q prototype. They achieved Q=1 where the process of nuclear fusion inside a plasma yields more energy than was consumed to create the plasma. In 2021, Zap Energy used sheared-flow stabilization to extend the lifetime of Z-pinch plasmas at 500 kiloamps (kA) of current. Zap’s sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch …
US and Canadian nuclear regulators completed joint review of Terrestrial’s IMSR (molten salt) nuclear reactor. Terrestrial Energy looks to commercialise the Generation IV small modular reactor (SMR) technology and begin operating its first plant by 2028. Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, said: “This review by the Canadian and US regulators is a joint examination …
There have been other Mars Society Studies analyzing using Mars resources to make more efficient colonization. The first unmanned missions need to bring the solar panels and automated equipment to move the solar panels around. There is needs to be mining, excavating and other automated machines. There needs to be automated exploration equipment. We have …
First Light used a large two-stage hyper-velocity gas gun to launch a projectile at a target, containing the fusion fuel and achieved fusion. The projectile reached a speed of 6.5 km per second before impact. First Light’s highly sophisticated target focuses this impact, with the fuel accelerated to over 70 km per second (151,000 mph) …
Finland and Sweden are moving ahead on separate tracks to quickly move ahead to join NATO. Finland had indicated it would prefer a solution that would see the two Nordic unaligned states “jump together” into NATO. Sweden is looking at a range of enhanced security-related options, including deepening Nordic defense cooperation and urging the European …
The UK has setup a new program called Great British Nuclear, which has the goal of building up to seven new nuclear reactors by 2050. They will identify sites, cut through red tape to speed up the planning process, and bring together private firms to run each site. The United Kingdom currently has eleven operable …
NASA NIAC (NASA Advanced Innovation Concepts) has 2022 grants. It is a bit confusing as some of the projects have been written about before. This makes sense for phase 2 projects but there is a phase 1 project that has previously had work. Nextbigfuture covered this proposal six months ago. The Atomic Planar Power for …
There are various reports about Putin having decades long anger at Russia losing the Cold War to the West. Putin felt humiliated that Russia was treated as second rate by the West after the USSR fell. Big tough Putin and Russia with nuclear weapons demanded respect and is forcing respect by taking maybe half of …
Ukraine President Zelensky says that Ukraine will go back to having nuclear weapons like they did before 1994 unless the US lives to the guarantees of protection made in the Budapest Memo. Ukraine had 1000 soviet nuclear weapons. What did Ukraine keep that would short cut a return to being a nuclear power. Even with …
