"Startup Valar Atomics said on Monday that it achieved criticality-an essential nuclear milestone-with the help of one of the country's top nuclear laboratories. The El Segundo, California-based startup, which last week announced it had secured a $130 million funding round with backing from Palmer Luckey and Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar, claims that it is the first nuclear startup to create a critical fission reaction."
"It's also, more specifically, the first company in a special Department of Energy pilot program aiming to get at least three startups to criticality by July 4 of next year to announce it had achieved this reaction. The pilot program, which was formed following an executive order president Donald Trump signed in May, has upended US regulation of nuclear startups, allowing companies to reach new milestones like criticality at a rapid pace."
Valar Atomics achieved zero-power reactor criticality with assistance from a national laboratory, marking the first such milestone among startups in a Department of Energy pilot. The pilot, created after an executive order signed in May, aims to bring at least three startups to criticality by July 4, 2026, and has accelerated regulatory pathways for nuclear companies. Valar recently secured a $130 million funding round backed by Palmer Luckey and Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar. Criticality denotes a sustained fission chain reaction, when neutrons from split atoms continue to induce further splits, and represents the first step toward power generation.
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