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USNC-Tech (Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation-Technologies)

Created: 2026-04-05 (session 7) | Updated: 2026-04-05 (session 13)

Overview

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation-Technologies (USNC-Tech) is a Seattle-based commercial nuclear technology company with the most concentrated presence in NASA TechPort of any commercial nuclear firm. 14 total projects across SBIR/STTR and NIAC programs — no GCD or CIF work, all competitive awards.

USNC-Tech spans three distinct technology portfolios within TechPort: 1. NTP reactor safety systems (SBIR/STTR, 2015–2024): Control drums, decay heat, criticality, materials testing 2. EmberCore radioisotope propulsion (NIAC, 2021–2025): Novel radioisotope → electric propulsion → 50-100 km/s ΔV 3. Dynamic radioisotope power conversion (SBIR, 2023–2024): Flight demonstration concept using Co-60 surrogate

This dual portfolio is unique — no other company in TechPort combines NTP-side reactor engineering with independent novel radioisotope propulsion development.

Full Portfolio

Cluster 1: NTP Reactor Safety and Control (SBIR/STTR, 2015–2024)

All 10 projects are SBIR/STTR. All are Completed. Organized by technology track:

Criticality control: | ID | Title | TRL | Period | |---|---|---|---| | 33345 | Passive Technology to Improve Criticality Control of NTP Reactors (Phase I) | 1→3 | 2015 | | 90237 | Passive Technology to Improve Criticality Control of NTP Reactors (Phase II) | 2→4 | 2016–2019 | | 102966 | Passive criticality control (continuation record) | 0→0 | 2018–2019 |

USNC's innovation: control drums where a small amount of fuel is added opposite the neutron absorber, substantially increasing the shutdown criticality margin. Phase I→II maturation from concept to subscale demonstration.

Accident shutdown: | ID | Title | TRL | Period | |---|---|---|---| | 89906 | Accident Tolerant Reactor Shutdown for NTP Systems (Phase I) | 2→3 | 2016 | | 93323 | Accident Tolerant Reactor Shutdown for NTP Systems (Phase II) | 3→4 | 2017–2019 |

Focus: water submersion accident safety — NTP reactor must shut down safely if stage falls into ocean during launch abort. USNC developed "accident submersion safe drums" for passive shutdown guarantee.

Decay heat management: | ID | Title | TRL | Period | |---|---|---|---| | 94698 | Novel Technologies for Efficient NTP Reactor Decay Heat Removal (Phase I) | 2→3 | 2018 | | 112884 | Novel Technologies for Efficient NTP Reactor Decay Heat Removal (Phase II) | 3→4 | 2019–2022 |

Challenge: NTP reactor continues generating heat after shutdown — requires hydrogen coolant flow. USNC developed solutions to minimize hydrogen required for cooldown, potentially repurposing decay heat for useful functions.

Materials and reactor moderator: | ID | Title | TRL | Period | |---|---|---|---| | 102936 | Next Generation Insulator for NTP Moderators (Phase I) | 2→3 | 2020–2021 | | 113563 | Ultrahigh-Temperature Material Property Testing Above 2000°C in Vacuum and Hot Hydrogen (Phase I) | 1→3 | 2021 | | 125809 | Ultrahigh-Temperature Material Property Testing Above 2000°C in Vacuum and Hot Hydrogen (Phase II) | 3→6 | 2022–2024 |

The materials testing facility is the highest TRL achievement in USNC-Tech's NTP portfolio. Phase II (125809) reached TRL 6 — a working, demonstrable testing system capable of simultaneous mechanical evaluation of NTP materials under vacuum and prototypical atmospheric conditions at ultrahigh temperature. This facility enables fuel element characterization for any NTP program.

NTP cluster summary: USNC-Tech systematically addressed the non-fuel engineering challenges of NTP reactors: how do you control it, shut it down safely, manage decay heat, and test the materials? Their fuel work (prismatic fuel, CFEET minifuel) appeared in the NTP TDM publication list (document 389926) as a commercial partner — but those projects may be DOE/DARPA-funded, not TechPort.

Cluster 2: EmberCore Radioisotope Propulsion (NIAC, 2021–2025)

Three NIAC projects tracing the EmberCore concept from initial idea to full spacecraft design:

106013 — Extrasolar Object Interceptor and Sample Return - NIAC Phase I, 2021-04-01 to 2021-12-29, TRL 1→2 - First TechPort record of the EmberCore concept, called "Chargeable Atomic Battery" (CAB) - 20 kWe, 500 kg dry mass radioisotope-electric spacecraft, ΔV ~100 km/s, power specific mass 5-8 kg/kWe - Target mission: intercept interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua within ~10 years of detection

158589 — EmberCore Flashlight: Long Distance Lunar Characterization - NIAC Phase I, 2023-05-01 to 2024-01-31, TRL 1→2 - Pivots EmberCore from propulsion to passive sensing: use novel radioisotope as intense X-ray/gamma-ray source - Illuminates permanently shadowed lunar craters from orbit to characterize composition - Demonstrates cross-domain versatility of the EmberCore concept (same source, different application)

158529 — The Nyx Mission: Enabled by EmberCore Radioisotope Electric Propulsion - NIAC Phase II, 2023-05-01 to 2025-05-01, TRL unclear (no TRL field set), Completed - Full spacecraft design: EmberCore power → high-efficiency EP → ΔV 50-100 km/s - Nyx mission targets: outside zodiacal glow (parallax microlensing), Kuiper Belt Object intercepts, interstellar precursor - TX01.4.4 "Solar Thermal Propulsion" — confirmed mismatch - Advanced_From: EmberCore Flashlight (158589) and prior NIAC work

154512 — Affordable In-Space Demonstration of Dynamic Radioisotope Power Conversion - SBIR Phase I, 2023-08-03 to 2024-02-02, TRL 4→4 (no advance), Closed Out - Key concept: use Co-60 (cheap, commercially produced in 500W quantities) as a surrogate for Pu-238 to demonstrate dynamic (Stirling/Brayton) power conversion in space affordably - Modular design interfaces with GPHS heat source format — a Pu-238 flight system would be a direct upgrade path - TRL stayed at 4 (Closed Out — no Phase II awarded). The flight demo concept did not advance through SBIR.

EmberCore concept evolution summary: - 2021: "CAB" concept — interstellar object interceptor - 2023 Phase I: Pivot to lunar X-ray characterization (Flashlight) — shows the radioisotope source alone has value - 2023 Phase II: Return to propulsion → Nyx mission for deep space/interstellar precursor - Key enabler: a "novel commercial radioisotope" (not Pu-238) with higher specific power — the proprietary innovation USNC-Tech is protecting

Key Observations

The TechPort vs. DOE split: USNC-Tech's prismatic fuel elements and CFEET minifuel (featured in NTP TDM publications) are not TechPort projects. These are likely funded through DOE/INL or DARPA's DRACO program. TechPort only shows the NASA-SBIR side of USNC-Tech's NTP work (safety systems, materials testing). The full company portfolio is larger than TechPort shows.

Program termination impact: The NTP TDM (158561) that USNC-Tech supplied fuel elements to closed December 2025. The NEP TDM (158369) also closed December 2025. USNC-Tech's SBIR/STTR NTP work was already completed (last ended 2024). If USNC-Tech continues NTP fuel development, it would have to be through DOE/DOD channels — not visible in TechPort.

EmberCore flight demo search: USNC-Tech explored a flight demonstration path via SBIR Phase I (154512, 2023–2024, TRL 4, Closed Out). The concept: use cheap Co-60 (routinely produced in 500W quantities) as a surrogate for Pu-238 to demonstrate dynamic power conversion in space at low cost. The modular design would maintain interface compatibility with GPHS Pu-238. But the SBIR Closed Out at TRL 4 — no Phase II was awarded. The EmberCore Flashlight NIAC Phase I (158589) has an "Advanced To Other" outcome (2023-02-01), possibly indicating OGA interest. Phase II NIAC (158529) completed May 2025 with no visible TechPort follow-on. The flight path for EmberCore is not resolved in TechPort.

Strategic position: USNC-Tech has built deep domain expertise in NTP safety (Phase I→II across 4 technology tracks) plus a novel radioisotope EP concept. If nuclear propulsion revives under any program, USNC-Tech is one of the few commercial firms with the institutional knowledge to re-enter quickly.

Cross-references

Verification

Claim Source n Confidence
14 total USNC-Tech projects find_projects(lead_org="Ultra Safe Nuclear", status=null) session 13 14 confirmed
3 NIAC + 11 SBIR/STTR distribution find_projects result program field 14 confirmed
125809 TRL 3→6 find_projects result trlCurrent=6 1 confirmed
EmberCore concept in 106013 (2021) first appearance find_projects result + description 1 confirmed