U.S. Department of Energy Approves Antares Mark-1 Microreactor Nuclear Safety Design Agreement

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) formally approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for the Mark-1 microreactor of nuclear energy startup Antares Nuclear (Antares), establishing official safety standards, design requirements, and regulatory framework for the reactor's subsequent construction and testing phases.

It is reported that the Mark-1 is designed to achieve continuous power output, with its design integrating a full-scale core and TRISO fuel, and equipped with a nitrogen closed-cycle Brayton power conversion system. Prior to this, its predecessor Mark-0 achieved zero-power criticality in June 2026, successfully validating the core physics characteristics. With the approval of the NSDA, Antares is expected to operate the Mark-1 at full power for several months at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in 2027, accumulating core test data for full commercialization.

In terms of industrial chain collaboration and fuel assurance, Antares recently finalized a TRISO fuel fabrication agreement of significant total value with BWX Technologies (BWXT). The agreement provides for the procurement of fuel manufactured from high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), with the first batch covering a quota of 1 tonne of uranium, and the production line located at the Lynchburg, Virginia facility, which will fully guarantee reactor fuel supply through the end of 2030.

In terms of commercial and military deployment applications, Antares is accelerating multiple key military cooperation projects. It not only plans to deploy a commercial reactor at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, starting in 2028 under the Army's $2.2 billion Janus program, but has also been selected for the Advanced Nuclear Power Installation (ANPI) program for military bases, while receiving a $161 million Strategic Breakthrough Award from the U.S. Space Force, with plans to conduct a space launch in 2028 to provide continuous orbital power for advanced military assets and deep space exploration.