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A consortium led by Belgian engineering firm Tractebel has completed the European Space Agency-commissioned RocketRoll project on nuclear electric propulsion for space exploration. The consortium has defined a comprehensive technology roadmap to equip Europe with advanced propulsion systems capable of undertaking long-duration missions.

The University of Leicester has announced the launch of a new spin-out company, Perpetual Atomics, aimed at commercialising its research into the application of nuclear technology in space.

Rolls-Royce has secured an additional GBP4.8 million (USD6.2 million) in funding from the UK Space Agency to advance the development and demonstration of key technologies in its space nuclear microreactor.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and South Korean electronic component manufacturing firm LG Innotek have agreed to cooperate in the development of thermoelectric technology for nuclear batteries used in the space and defence sectors.

As an Apollo 8 astronaut, Bill Anders took the first colour photograph of the Earth as seen from the Moon - a photo credited with helping inspire the modern environmental movement. But his career went far beyond that: Anders went on to become the first ever chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Two projects featuring nuclear energy are among 11 international space projects selected to receive funding from the UK Space Agency. Rolls-Royce's collaboration with BWXT receives GBP1.18 million (USD1.5 million) to further its work on fission nuclear systems for space power missions, while an international project led by the University of Leicester receives GBP800,000.

Professor Tim Tinsley outlines how material extracted from the UK's legacy nuclear material is being used in pioneering cancer treatments and for powering future space missions - and considers whether long-term disposal plans now need to take into account the current and potential future value in the material.

Zeno Power's first full-scale radioisotope power systems will be fuelled by strontium-90 material recycled from a legacy radioisotope generator under a new public-private partnership with the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. The company has also announced a partnership with Westinghouse to fabricate the heat sources for its systems.

The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council and nuclear innovation company Nuclear Promise X will explore the feasibility of using Canadian nuclear reactors to produce plutonium-238 for use in deep space exploration.

The results of a UK Space Agency backed research programme have been unveiled by Rolls-Royce, with the company saying it aims to have a micro-reactor ready to send to the Moon by the early 2030s.

With nuclear technology set to underpin new developments in space travel, NASA has awarded Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation a contract to manufacture and test fuel and develop the design of a nuclear thermal propulsion engine for near-term missions. Separately, Space Nuclear Power Corporation has partnered with Lockheed Martin Corporation and BWX Technologies for the US Space Force/Air Force's JETSON nuclear electric propulsion demonstration project, while Framatome has announced the creation of a new brand, Framatome Space.

The USA's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has finalised an agreement with Lockheed Martin to begin work on the fabrication and design of an experimental nuclear thermal rocket and its engine. BWX Technologies, one of Lockheed Martin's partners in the effort, will develop the nuclear reactor and fabricate the HALEU fuel.