#countdowntocriticality

We’re beginning our #CountdownToCriticality. As we approach initial criticality, our engineers and operators will take you inside our Groves Isotope Test Reactor as they conduct the startup tests. Our team has loaded the initial core, tested the control rods and protection systems, and brought purified water into the core under tight chemistry control. These steps are a deliberate “preflight check” that builds confidence that the reactor and its systems are behaving as expected. These startup tests do more than demonstrate our developing blueprint for future commercial deployments–they show that American nuclear can move from design to startup on timelines that are measured in months rather than years.