Zeno Power’s first full-scale radioisotope power systems will be fueled by strontium-90 (Sr-90). The fuel is recycled from a legacy radioisotope generator under a new public-private partnership with the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM). Zeno has also announced a partnership with Westinghouse to fabricate the heat sources for its systems.
     Radioisotope power systems (RPSs) use the heat from radioisotope decay to generate power. They can be used to supply clean energy for applications in off-grid environments. The use of Sr-90 in RPSs is not new. However, historical systems were heavy, which limited their applications. Zeno was established in 2018. It says that its key innovation is a novel design that increases the specific power of Sr-90 heat sources, enabling broad use of its RPSs in space and terrestrially.
     Zeno demonstrated its first Sr-90 heat source at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in October 2023. It aims to commercialize its technology by 2026. Zeno intends to use the Sr-90 from the legacy equipment to deliver on contracts with the US Department of Defense (DOD).
     The partnership with OREM will see Zeno use Sr-90 recovered from their Byproduct Utilization Program. The BUP-500 is a five hundred watt radioisotope thermal generator which was built in the mid-1980s at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The equipment was never deployed and has remained in storage at the Tennessee site since it was constructed. Before this new partnership, OREM had anticipated that it would remain in storage for another 30 years before it could be disposed of.
     OREM and environmental cleanup contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) recently transported the BUP-500 generator from the Tennessee lab to a commercial nuclear facility for processing. The transfer will accelerate the demolition of the facility where it was previously stored. It will avoid the costs associated with disposal and significantly reduce liability at ORNL, OREM said.
Jay Mullis is an OREM Manager. He said, “This is a win-win scenario that’s removing a significant source of radioactivity at a savings to taxpayers, while also supporting nuclear innovation.
     Tyler Bernstein is a Zeno co-founder and CEO. He said, “This public-private partnership enables us to transform legacy radioactive material into clean energy, enabling future national security and scientific missions. We appreciate the commitment and support of so many officials from DOE, OREM, and UCOR who made this partnership a reality.”

Ambient office = 72 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Redleaf lettuce from Central Market = 96 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 101 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 86 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     In theory, the detonation of a nuclear weapon in space could provide the advantage of swiftly disabling a large part of the adversary’s satellites in one decisive blow. This is because the EMP that is produced as a side-effect of a nuclear detonation can permanently disable electrical and electronic equipment across a relatively vast area, especially if the nuclear device is detonated at high altitude.
     It is possible to harden satellites to withstand bombardment of charged particles released during high-altitude nuclear detonation. However, only a relatively small portion of military-grade satellites currently in orbit have undergone such hardening measures. The vast majority of commercial satellites in low Earth orbit are critical to economic activities. They incorporate standard electronics into their payloads that render them vulnerable to these kinds of attacks. This renders Western states vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.
     The second option is the deployment of a nuclear-powered ASAT weapon that utilizes lasers or particle beams to destroy its targets could. This could offer the same military benefits, while avoiding some of the associated risks. This approach might enable Russia to threaten larger constellations of micro-satellites, such as those that make up Elon Musk’s Starlink internet system. They would not generate excessive space debris and radiation and would avoid the potentially self-harming effects of a nuclear detonation.
     The Soviet Union and its Russian successor state are known to have worked on nuclear-powered “space tugs” that could theoretically be equipped with electronic warfare capabilities. These include electromagnetic energy weapons that might prove effective against satellites. However, it remains uncertain whether Russia has the money to invest in such technology after two years of high-intensity land-warfare in Ukraine and a sanction regime that continues to undermine its technological base.

     This implies that while Russia may potentially have the capability to deploy a space-based nuclear warhead in the not-so-distant future, deploying a sophisticated nuclear-propelled electromagnetic weapon system in space will be much more difficult to achieve.
     Regardless, if an active weapon system were to be deployed in space, it would represent a major escalation and a clear violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which Russia is a signatory.
     The revelation also highlights Russia’s continued willingness to disrupt and destabilize the political environment in pursuit of perceived advantages. With a space-based and potentially nuclear ASAT weapon, Moscow would have the option to release a devastating attack on NATO at any moment – a significant piece of leverage that could prevent the bloc from reacting decisively against a land-attack on an alliance member.
     That, however realistic, might be the threat Vladimir Putin hopes to hang over the heads of the West.

Ambient office = 72 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Redleaf lettuce from Central Market = 96 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 101 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 86 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     “Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States, a joint effort of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Defense Atomic Support Agency. It was launched from Johnston Atoll on July 9, 1962, and was the largest nuclear test conducted in outer space, and one of five conducted by the US in space.
     A Thor rocket carrying a W49 thermonuclear warhead (designed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory) and a Mk. 2 reentry vehicle was launched from Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,450 km) west-southwest of Hawaii. The explosion took place at an altitude of 250 miles (400 km), above a point 19 miles (31 km) southwest of Johnston Atoll. It had a yield of 1.4 Mt (5.9 PJ). The explosion was about 10° above the horizon as seen from Hawaii, at 11 pm Hawaii time.
     The Starfish test was one of five high-altitude tests grouped together as Operation Fishbowl within the larger Operation Dominic, a series of tests in 1962 begun in response to the Soviet announcement on August 30, 1961, that they would end a three-year moratorium on testing.” Wikipedia

     The effects of the Starfish Prime test were far more devastating than the Pentagon had estimated. It brought about a treaty that banned the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. In an instant, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) knocked out hundreds of streetlights in Hawaii, some 900 miles away.
     However, it was in space where the most powerful effects were felt. Within minutes of the detonation, the blast had created a fire ball and a glowing red aurora was clearly visible to observers hundreds of miles below.
     Unexpectedly, energetic electrons released during the high-altitude nuclear blast became trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field. They formed radiation belts that lingered for several months after the detonation. As they travelled around the planet, these electrons destroyed or damaged one third of all satellites in low orbit at the time. This destruction included some satellites that were located on the other side of the Earth. Among the satellites damaged was the UK’s first orbital satellite, Ariel One.
     It is partly the result of Starfish Prime that has driven the current alarm at reports that Russia is developing a new space-based anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon. Insiders familiar with the classified information state that the weapon system is still under development and has not been deployed in orbit. The Russian ASAT is said to include a nuclear component.
     The precise nature of this nuclear component remains uncertain at this time. Two prevailing theories suggest that the Russia ASAT contains either a nuclear warhead or a nuclear-power system.
     The possibility of a nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapon raises questions as to what it could be used for militarily. Russia has demonstrated in the past its capability to conduct conventional strikes against satellites with ASATs. In November 2021, Moscow was widely condemned for carrying out a conventional ASAT test. It produced so much space debris that it posed a temporary threat to the International Space Station.
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient outside = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 103 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     Yves Desbazeille continued, “There are several challenges which need to be tackled to ensure the smooth deployment of SMRs in Europe. Therefore, we are delighted that the commission is moving ahead with this alliance in order to work on viable solutions to overcome these challenges.”
     Urenco was actively engaged in the creation of the European SMR Pre-Partnership. It welcomed the launch of the Industrial Alliance. “The increased global demand to reduce emissions and strengthen energy security is increasing the focus on new nuclear technologies such as SMRs and AMRs, as well as the fuels needed to power them. The alliance will help to further increase confidence in the sector by facilitating the necessary conditions across the supply chain to accelerate the development of these new technologies in a safe, efficient, and secure manner, and Urenco looks forward to supporting the Alliance through the relevant working groups.”
     The announcement of the launch of the Industrial Alliance for SMRs followed the publication by the Commission of a detailed impact assessment on possible pathways to reach the agreed goal of making the European Union climate neutral by 2050. The EU’s 2030 climate goal is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% relative to 1990 levels. Based on the latest impact assessment, the European Commission recommends a 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 compared with 1990 levels, launching a discussion with all stakeholders. A legislative proposal will be made by the next Commission, after the European election. It must be agreed with by the European Parliament and Member States as required under the EU Climate Law.
     The commission said, “Today’s communication also sets out a number of enabling policy conditions which are necessary to achieve the 90% target. They include the full implementation of the agreed 2030 framework, ensuring the competitiveness of the European industry, a greater focus on a just transition that leaves no one behind, a level playing field with international partners, and a strategic dialogue on the post-2030 framework, including with industry and the agricultural sector.”
    The commission added, “Setting a 2040 climate target will help European industry, investors, citizens and governments to make decisions in this decade that will keep the EU on track to meet its climate neutrality objective in 2050. It will send important signals on how to invest and plan effectively for the longer term, minimizing the risks of stranded assets … It will also boost Europe’s resilience against future crises, and notably strengthen the EU’s energy independence from fossil fuel imports, which accounted for over 4% of GDP in 2022 as we faced the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The costs and human impacts of climate change are increasingly large, and visible.”
    The Commission noted that the energy sector is expected to achieve full decarbonization shortly after 2040, “based on all zero and low-carbon energy solutions, including renewables, nuclear, energy efficiency, storage, CCS, CCU, carbon removals, geothermal and hydro”.