For a 60-minute period in January 2023, a power plant like no other existed in the U.S. Mountain West. It contained a solar array, lithium-ion battery, hydrogen electrolyzers, and a nuclear reactor, all coordinating with each other to provide reliable power.
Though a large share of the country’s clean electricity comes from nuclear power plants, states have made plans to retire them. But as they set steeper emission targets, many are reconsidering the role of nuclear energy.
After decades of false starts, a new push for nuclear-powered rocketry could make or break the space agency’s plans to send astronauts to the Red Planet