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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today made conditional commitments to provide high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Radiant Industries, Inc. to meet near-term fuel needs.
The third round of HALEU allocations will support the SR-1 Freedom mission to Mars and Radiant’s deployment of a microreactor to the Air Force’s preferred location of Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.
“Today’s allocations spotlight the importance of fueling advanced nuclear reactors for space exploration and national security,” said Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish. “The U.S. Department of Energy’s HALEU Availability Program is an important stepping-stone for the nuclear industry as we work to establish a domestic nuclear fuel supply in support of the American nuclear renaissance.”
HALEU is not currently available from domestic suppliers, and many advanced reactors need the material to achieve smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and increased efficiencies over current technologies.
To help fill this gap, DOE created a process for nuclear developers to request HALEU material from DOE sources, including material from the National Nuclear Security Administration.
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