☢️ Mobile nuclear reactor to power US battlefields, China tests massive nuclear missile, world’s first hydrogen drone with 5,800-mile-range

The Department of Defense broke ground at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on the Project Pele transportable nuclear reactor.

The microreactor is being manufactured by BWXT Advanced Technologies, Virginia, under a Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) initiative.

The final reactor assembly is scheduled to begin in February 2026, and it is likely that this will be the first-ever generation four nuclear reactor to produce electricity in the United States. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

☢️ US begins building first 4th gen mobile nuclear reactor to power battlefields

The prototype reactor facility is designed to be transported within four 20-foot shipping containers, and tested at INL, according to a press release by the DOD. The Project Pele team will construct a concrete shield structure at the test site next year in order to be ready for reactor placement in 2026.

In 2016 the Defense Science Board (DSB) identified energy as a critical enabler of future military operations. It noted that battlefield energy usage will likely increase significantly over the next few decades.

Therefore, the DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) launched Project Pele – named after the Hawaiian goddess of fire and power – to develop a fourth-generation nuclear microreactor to deliver energy to support remote and austere environments

🚀 US alert: China tests 9,320-mile massive nuclear missile in open after 44 years

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China said that it has successfully conducted the testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday morning in the Pacific Ocean.

China’s Ministry of National Defense has said that the ICBM carrying a dummy warhead successfully fell into the expected areas in the ocean, according to a report by state-owned news agency Xinhua.

The Ministry has also said that this test conducted by the PLA’s Space Force was “routine” and part of “annual practice.” It also said that all concerned neighboring countries had been given prior notice about it.

🌴 Potential biblical tree comes to life from a 1,000-year-old desert seed

A 1,000-year-old seed — buried for centuries — has been brought back to life. Scientists have nurtured this ancient seed, and it has grown into a thriving tree. Named “Sheba,” this tree could hold the key to a biblical mystery. As per Live Science, the tree could be part of a lost lineage mentioned in the Bible.

In the late 1980s, archaeologists discovered the seed in a Judean Desert cave. After nearly 14 years of work, the ancient seed has grown into a tree that now stands roughly 10 feet tall. To determine the seed’s origin, the researchers performed various analyses, including DNA, chemical, and radiocarbon testing.

The seed dates back to between A.D. 993 and 1202. It’s believed to be from a now-extinct population of trees that once thrived in the Southern Levant – the vast area that includes present-day Jordan and Palestine.

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> Researchers in China set a new record on September 22, when their resistive magnet produced a steady magnetic field of 42 tesla. With this feat, China overtook the US, which had held the record for the most powerful resistive magnet since 2017. (More)

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VIDEO

> The formidable U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is the ultimate symbol of naval power and strategic dominance. Comprised of an aircraft carrier, guided missile cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and an air wing, a CSG is a self-sufficient, mobile force capable of projecting American power anywhere in the world. (More)

> An asteroid called 2024 PT5 will go around the Earth for two months this autumn. Why is it called a 'mini moon' and can you see it? (More)

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