Space Nuclear Power Corporation Awarded DARPA Agreement for Ground Test of Autonomous Nuclear Reactor Controller

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — In a major development for the future of national security and space exploration, the Space Nuclear Power Corporation, widely known as SpaceNukes, has officially secured an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Announced on October 21, 2026, the contract falls under DARPA’s ambitious Fast Capacitance (Fat Cat) program, which is expertly managed by Dr. Tabitha Dodson within the agency’s Defense Sciences Office. This high-stakes initiative is engineered to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous nuclear reactor operation technologies tailored specifically for critical national security missions. By bridging the gap between theoretical nuclear physics and ruggedized operational capability, the agreement paves the way for a ground-breaking series of engineering milestones, hardware fabrications, and rigorous nuclear ground testing designed to expand the horizons of American power generation capabilities both on Earth and in the final frontier.

The Evolution of Space Nuclear Power

To understand the profound significance of the DARPA award, one must examine the rich history and lineage of the core scientific team driving SpaceNukes forward. The company was founded by visionary engineers and program managers who were previously the masterminds behind the monumental Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) project. In 2018, these key individuals—operating under the combined umbrella of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—achieved a historic scientific triumph. They successfully conducted the KRUSTY demonstration, marking the single full-power ground test of a newly designed American space nuclear reactor in over fifty years.

The 2018 KRUSTY project proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that small, fission-based power systems could be safely, efficiently, and reliably operated to support demanding exploration missions where traditional solar or chemical power sources fall short. However, the architecture of the historic KRUSTY reactor relied primarily on passive control mechanisms. While highly effective for steady-state applications, passive control systems have inherent limitations when facing complex, rapidly shifting operational environments that require dynamic power management.

Under the newly minted DARPA Fat Cat agreement, SpaceNukes, in close collaboration with the prestigious Los Alamos National Laboratory, is set to transcend those historical limitations. The team will design, construct, and execute a comprehensive follow-on nuclear ground test of an advanced Kilopower reactor. Crucially, this new iteration will incorporate active control rod operations. This sophisticated engineering leap will allow the reactor to dynamically regulate its core reactivity in real-time, managed entirely by an autonomous reactor controller. This technological progression represents a massive paradigm shift from passive safety features to intelligent, autonomous responsiveness, perfectly suited for the unpredictable demands of modern national security operations.

Chronology of Innovation and Project Roadmap

The trajectory leading to the DARPA agreement is the culmination of decades of research, government-private collaboration, and relentless engineering dedication.

• Early Development (Pre-2018): Scientists and engineers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA Glenn Research Center conceptualize the Kilopower architecture, realizing the critical need for a high-density, reliable power source for deep space missions and austere terrestrial environments.
• March 2018: The KRUSTY demonstration reaches its historic climax. Testing at the Nevada National Security Site proves the technical viability of the 1-kilowatt electric Stirling-based reactor design at full power, validating years of theoretical modeling.
• Post-2018 Founding of SpaceNukes: Recognizing the immense commercial and strategic value of the technology, key architects of the KRUSTY program—including David Poston, Patrick McClure, Marc Gibson, Omar Mireles, and Andy Phelps—establish SpaceNukes. The company officially secures a commercial license from Los Alamos National Laboratory to commercialize and advance the Kilopower technology.
• October 2026: DARPA officially awards SpaceNukes the Fat Cat OTA. The program is structured around a rigorous, phased timeline featuring strict design, procurement, and integration gates.
• Future Ground Test Phase: The culmination of the current agreement will witness a fully integrated nuclear ground test, producing vital nuclear-tested hardware and establishing the empirical engineering basis required for autonomous, actively controlled fission operations.

Collaborative Engineering and Operational Infrastructure

The success of the Fat Cat program relies heavily on a distributed, highly specialized national industrial base. Rather than relying on a single monolithic facility, SpaceNukes has strategically partitioned the engineering, integration, and manufacturing responsibilities across premier national laboratories and specialized private workshops.

The primary oversight and scientific leadership are anchored in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the company maintains its headquarters and specialized workshops equipped with advanced additive 3D printing capabilities. Additive manufacturing plays an indispensable role in modern nuclear engineering, allowing for the precise fabrication of intricate refractory metal components, complex coolant channels, and structural elements that can withstand the punishing thermal and radiation environments inside a nuclear core.

Concurrently, heavy integration work and structural assembly are slated for SpaceNukes’ advanced workshop located in Medina, Ohio. Guided by Chief Engineer Marc Gibson—formerly of NASA Glenn Research Center—the Medina facility provides vital thermal and vacuum testing capabilities. These testing environments are crucial for simulating the harsh thermal vacuums of space or the extreme atmospheric conditions of austere terrestrial deployment sites, ensuring that every valve, actuator, and control rod mechanism functions flawlessly before a single gram of nuclear fuel is introduced.

Leadership and Official Statements

The leadership team driving SpaceNukes represents a veritable who’s who of American space nuclear engineering. Chief Technology Officer David Poston and Chief Operating Officer Patrick McClure bring decades of institutional knowledge from Los Alamos National Laboratory, having served as the technical leads for the original KRUSTY architecture. Chief Engineer Marc Gibson brings decades of NASA aerospace engineering experience, while Andy Phelps steers the company as Chief Executive Officer, ensuring that commercial agility matches the stringent safety and regulatory standards of the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.

Commenting on the monumental significance of the DARPA agreement, COO Patrick McClure emphasized the continuity and proven track record of the engineering personnel. "This award recognizes the maturity and continuity of the team that designed, built, and tested KRUSTY in 2018," McClure stated. "We are proud to work alongside Dr. Tabitha Dodson and Los Alamos National Laboratory to deliver the next demonstrated step in American nuclear power."

Echoing this sentiment, CEO Andy Phelps underscored the vital link between proven technological heritage and national security imperatives. "There is no substitute for demonstrated technology when American national security objectives are at stake," Phelps remarked. "This award lets us advance the work begun in the KRUSTY program and bring another tested capability forward for the nation."

Strategic Implications and Broader Impact

The implications of successfully developing an autonomous, actively controlled nuclear reactor controller extend far beyond the immediate parameters of the DARPA Fat Cat program. As global powers increasingly look toward contested, remote, and resource-constrained environments—ranging from contested cislunar space to remote terrestrial forward operating bases—the demand for reliable, independent power sources has never been more acute.

Traditional power generation methods, such as diesel generators or solar arrays coupled with massive battery banks, suffer from critical logistical vulnerabilities. Diesel generators require continuous, highly vulnerable fuel supply chains that can be easily interdicted in hostile scenarios. Solar arrays, while effective in optimal conditions, are vulnerable to dust storms, nighttime outages, tactical shadowing, and lack the sheer energy density required for high-draw electronic warfare systems, directed energy weapons, or continuous high-performance computing nodes.

Fission-based nuclear power systems completely alter this logistical calculus. A compact reactor weighing a fraction of a ton can provide continuous kilowatts—or eventually megawatts—of electrical power for years or even decades without refueling. By introducing an autonomous controller into this equation, DARPA and SpaceNukes are removing human intervention from the loop of routine reactor management. An autonomous reactor can independently monitor core temperatures, adjust control rods to compensate for fuel burn-up, optimize power distribution based on shifting load demands, and execute fail-safe shutdowns in the event of unexpected anomalies or hostile interference.

Furthermore, the dual-use nature of this technology positions American private industry at the vanguard of the emerging space economy. As commercial entities plan crewed lunar bases, Martian outposts, and deep-space transit vehicles, the requirement for robust, autonomous power grids is absolute. Solar power becomes mathematically unfeasible as spacecraft travel further from the sun or attempt to operate in permanently shadowed lunar craters where water ice resources are concentrated. Nuclear fission remains the only viable, scalable energy solution for permanent human expansion off-world.

By securing the DARPA Fat Cat agreement, SpaceNukes is not merely building a better control rod actuator; it is laying the foundational bedrock for the next century of American energy independence, national defense resilience, and interplanetary exploration. As the phased program progresses from blueprints in Los Alamos and Medina to roaring verification tests, the United States takes another irreversible stride toward mastering the atom for the challenges of tomorrow.