Oak Ridge National Laboratory develops a test bed to simulate space nuclear reactors for future Mars missions.

How do you control a nuclear space propulsion system? Very carefully. To help with this, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ...

Nuclear energy is a leading option to power space exploration, but its success depends on reactors that can operate ...

Spacecraft have used a plutonium isotope to stay afloat for decades, but another isotope could last even longer.

Sending humans to Mars will require reliable energy systems that can work without constant human attention. One of the most ...

A battery that lasts more than four centuries? That’s exactly what NASA and the University of Leicester are currently testing ...

NASA announced plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon on Tuesday, in an attempt to stay ahead of China and Russia in a new space race. The goal is ...

NASA has set a 2030 deadline to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the moon. It’s an ambitious but potentially achievable goal that could transform space exploration, experts tell WIRED.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is testing a new type of nuclear battery, powered by the radioactive isotope Americium-241, which can provide power to space probes for up to ...

The first space race was about flags and footprints. Now, decades later, landing on the Moon is old news. The new race is to build there, and doing so hinges on power.

The dangers of using atomic energy to operate military aircraft. Robert Bernier Anything seemed possible during the Atomic Age: (clockwise, from top left) the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab, cutaway ...