Reactor

The United States and other major powers are competing to deploy nuclear reactors on the Moon, a step seen as key to sustaining long-term lunar bases and securing strategic advantage in space. The report highlights how nuclear power could support operations through the two-week lunar night, and how the race carries geopolitical weight reminiscent of earlier space rivalries.

Google and Constellation Energy have agreed to a sweeping nuclear power deal, according to the Wall Street Journal. The agreement is part of tech companies' broader push to secure large volumes of reliable, low-carbon electricity to power energy-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence operations. The deal adds momentum to a wave of corporate interest in nuclear energy, including restarted reactors and new small modular projects across the United States.

A Spanish-language reaction channel is drawing huge attention with a video reacting to an episode of the Mexican anthology series La Rosa de Guadalupe, in which a character is said to have sold her body in exchange for an iPhone. Viewers are engaging heavily with the dramatic storyline and the reactor's surprised takes.

The United States plans to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, while a Russian-Chinese partnership is developing its own lunar reactor targeted for 2036. The competing projects have drawn attention because some leading scientists warn the risk to Earth is significant, noting that rockets carrying nuclear material could explode during launch or transit.

A scientist reports giving additional conference talks covering several nuclear subjects: plutonium production in fast reactors, the effects of nuclear war on water cycles, measurements at nuclear weapon test sites with remote detection of tests, and sustainability and nuclear non-proliferation. The discussions connect civil nuclear technology, weapons monitoring and disarmament policy, and come amid ongoing public interest in both nuclear energy and nuclear risk.

Energy companies are working to extract additional electricity from existing nuclear power plants rather than building new reactors, the New York Times reports. The effort connects aging plants with growing power demand, particularly from data centers serving the artificial intelligence boom. Google is reported to be involved in arrangements tied to nuclear facilities, reflecting tech companies' push for reliable low-carbon energy.

Italy's Senate has given final approval to a law by Giorgia Meloni's government establishing a new framework for producing nuclear energy, nearly four decades after the country abandoned nuclear power following the 1987 referendum. The government plans to focus on new-generation reactors, marking a major shift in Italy's energy policy and its approach to energy security and decarbonisation.

Discussion is underway about how near the energy industry actually is to deploying small modular reactors at scale. While several companies and governments have announced SMR projects, observers are questioning whether timelines and cost projections hold up, given that no design has yet been fully commercialized. The debate centers on whether the technology is a realistic near-term climate solution or still years away from practical, affordable deployment.

Rosatom has outlined four priority areas for action to scale up nuclear capacity, which the global nuclear industry sees as one of its major challenges. The announcement, reported by World Nuclear News, comes as countries pursue new reactor builds and capacity targets. The specific four areas were not detailed in the snippet.

Russia has conducted a large-scale emergency exercise at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, simulating simultaneous accidents at two reactors. Around 1,000 responders took part, with sirens sounding and evacuation procedures rehearsed. The drill comes amid heightened attention to nuclear safety in the region, drawing interest from observers tracking Russian civil-defence readiness.