August 2023

Nuclear Reactors 1249 - United Energy Corporation Is Restarting Operations At The Christensen Ranch In Wyoming

     U.S. uranium mining company Uranium Energy Corporation (UEC) recently announced its plan to accelerate the steps required for a resumption of operations. This will enable a faster restart at the Christensen Ranch in-situ leaching (ISL) project in Wyoming.

Nuclear Reactors 1245 - Framatome Is Developing Accident Tolerant Nuclear Fuel

     Safety is one of the most important concerns with respect to nuclear power plants. A great deal depends on the safety features incorporated in the reactor designs. The design of the fuel pellets and rods for a nuclear reactor can also contribute to making them safer to operate. 

Power Generation - Aerospace Corp. and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Are Working On Shrinking Radioactive Thermoelectric Generators

     Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have been the power plants of interplanetary spacecraft for fifty years. However, one major problem is that they are relatively heavy. Modern RTGs may weigh hundreds of pounds. They are fine for large-scale missions, but they are prohibitively big for small scale missions to the outer planets.

Propulsion - Aeroject Rocketdyne And NASA Are Developing Solar Powered Ion Engines

     Engineers from Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA have started the multiyear qualification testing of the most powerful solar electronic propulsion (SEP) thrusters. These engines are expected to radically change propulsion in space, according to a press release from NASA.

Technology - Researches At The University Of Colorado Working On Tractor Beam To Remove Space Junk

     Currently there are tens of thousands of chucks of space debris floating around in low Earth orbit. All of these pieces of space junk are bigger than a softball. The orbital junk yard is becoming a problem for the global economy and military forces because they are increasingly depending on satellites.

Propulsion - Pulsar Fusion And Princeton Satellite Systems Are Working On A Nuclear Fusion Rocket

     U.K. clean space propulsion systems and services company Pulsar Fusion has formed a partnership with U.S.-based Princeton Satellite Systems to use artificial intelligence (AI) to design a hyper-fast space rocket that will be capable of reaching Mars in only 30 days.

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