ROCKVILLE, MD – November 30, 2023 - X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy”), a leading developer of advanced nuclear reactors and fuel technology, was competitively selected as part of a team led by Houston-based Intuitive Machines to design a nuclear-powered space vehicle through a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV).
Through Intuitive Machines’ $9.49 million contract, X-energy will work on AFRL/RV’s Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-orbit Nuclear Power (JETSON) Low-power Mission application contract to develop technical solutions for satellite positioning and maneuverability using a compact nuclear power source in support of NASA’s Gateway space station– a multi-purpose outpost orbiting the Moon. This project continues X-energy’s growth in strategic space, human planetary exploration, and defense applications.
“We look forward to expanding our current Fission Surface Power partnership with Intuitive Machines to develop cutting-edge nuclear technologies that enable cis-lunar space exploration within this decade,” said Dr. John Kennedy, X-energy’s Program Manager for Space Nuclear Programs. “X-energy’s compact, long-life nuclear solutions for space applications provide higher reliability, longer life, and agile navigation and control in support of critical missions.”
In 2022, the Department of Energy and NASA awarded IX, a joint venture between Intuitive Machines and X-energy, a contract to advance the design of a Fission Surface Power (FSP) system to deliver 40 kWe of nuclear fission-based power to the Moon by 2028. Designed to be intrinsically safe, X-energy’s space systems deliver long life and high-power output at low mass based on numerous micro-reactor innovations the company has developed in recent years.
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About X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC
X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC, is a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation that is redefining the nuclear energy industry through its development of safer and more efficient reactors and proprietary fuel to deliver reliable, zero-carbon and affordable energy to people around the world. X-energy’s simplified, modular, and intrinsically safe SMR design expands applications and markets for deployment of nuclear technology and drives enhanced safety, lower cost and faster construction timelines when compared with conventional nuclear. For more information, visit X-energy.com or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
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