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Commercial Spaceflight Just Entered the Nuclear Age
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Fusion42 · 8 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
City Labs launched BOHR, the first commercial nuclear-powered satellite, aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17, using proprietary betavoltaic tritium technology to enable persistent spacecraft operations beyond solar-dependent systems. This marks a regulatory milestone—the first commercial mission to exercise FAA nuclear launch approval—unlocking new capabilities for deep space exploration and lunar infrastructure.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Space Tech.
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Commercial nuclear power in space is now regulatory-approved and flight-proven; founders in space infrastructure, lunar logistics, and deep-space exploration can now design systems around persistent, sunlight-independent power—unlocking new mission architectures for Moon bases and beyond-LEO operations.
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1 source · 8 Jul 2026
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