Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory focused on nuclear energy research and development. Within the space industry, INL's Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies Division assembles and tests Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) at its Materials and Fuels Complex. These RPSs, fueled with plutonium-238, provide reliable power for deep-space missions, including those of NASA, where alternative power sources like solar panels are insufficient. INL also works with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to produce plutonium-238.
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CoLab helps Idaho National Laboratory teams assign reviewers to technical data packages and track comments and action items across documents, drawings, and models.
Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory hold institutional expertise in reactor physics, fuel fabrication, and safety analysis for space nuclear power.
The Idaho National Laboratory released a report titled "Weighing the Future: Strategic Options for U.S. Space Nuclear Leadership" that outlines three paths for U.S. space nuclear leadership.
The Idaho National Laboratory operates the Transient Reactor Test Facility and can conduct testing of nuclear propulsion reactor fuels and host new reactor technologies on-site.
The Idaho National Laboratory produced a report titled "Weighing the Future: Strategic Options for U.S. Space Nuclear Leadership."
The Idaho National Laboratory serves as the lead national laboratory supporting space reactor efforts and coordinates across multiple national laboratories to develop technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure for space reactors.
The Myers and Lal report for Idaho National Laboratory states that the U.S. has spent nearly $20 billion in constant-year dollars on space nuclear programs such as NERVA and Prometheus.
A study for Idaho National Laboratory by Roger Myers and Bhavya Lal found the United States spent nearly $20 billion in constant-year dollars on space nuclear programs such as NERVA and Prometheus.
Ultra Safe Nuclear won a contract from the Idaho National Laboratory last year to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion reactor concept for a NASA space exploration mission.