Newsroom.

In most energy contexts "long-duration" refers to storage, the long-duration energy storage category, generally meaning systems that discharge for ten or more hours. Omega uses it differently: a power system that generates continuously for years or decades without refueling, recharging, or resupply.

An isotope power system generates electricity from the natural radioactive decay of a material, no chain reaction, no criticality, no moving parts. A reactor sustains a controlled fission chain reaction, can be throttled up or down, and can be shut off. An isotope system cannot: decay is an intrinsic property of the material, so the fuel is fixed in place and lasts for years, and output declines on a fixed schedule set by the isotope's half-life.

Safety is built into every layer of the power system, from isotope selection and containment to shielding and integration into the final device. Project Omega's power cells use radioisotopes that primarily emit beta radiation, which can be contained with relatively thin, lightweight shielding compared with more penetrating forms of radiation.

The radioactive material remains sealed inside the power cell and is not handled or accessed by the user. Each system will be engineered, tested, and licensed for its intended application, including normal operations and credible accident conditions.

Like the sealed radioactive source in a smoke detector, the power cell is designed to operate safely without special procedures for the person using the technology. Project Omega is working with Department of War and Intelligence Community partners to integrate these cells into both new and existing platforms, including sensors, communications nodes, and remote systems, while meeting the safety requirements of each mission and form factor.

Pyroprocessing is one type of reprocessing. Like conventional methods such as PUREX, it recovers usable material from used nuclear fuel. The difference lies in how it works and the specific material that it can produce. PUREX dissolves fuel in acid and separates out pure plutonium. Pyroprocessing uses molten salt and electricity. Because it never isolates pure plutonium, its output is harder to divert for weapons use, giving it a proliferation advantage.

Strontium-90 is a fission product used as an industrial beta source and as a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators and is far more available because it occurs in high concentration in used nuclear fuel. Historically, Sr-90 powered remote installations; a Sr-90 generator supplied a US Navy weather buoy in the Gulf of Mexico, and others ran Arctic sites and Soviet lighthouses.

Used nuclear fuel is safely stored and transported in certified casks in stable metallic or ceramic forms, see the diagram on our Technology page for current volumes across the United States.

U.S. uranium production peaked in 1980 and purchases from domestic suppliers peaked in 1981. Currently, more than 70% of the enriched uranium used in U.S. nuclear reactors was sourced from abroad, from Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. This outsourcing was due to lower-cost foreign production, much of it state-supported.

Fluid waste is certainly more difficult to contain than solid forms. Project Omega reduces risk by minimizing waste volumes and using molten salts for processing media, which are solid and robust under standard temperatures.