goingcritical:nucube-artUnited States · Research reactor
NuCube ART Reactor
Status: Announced Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho
Nuclear Energy Launch Pad selection (successor/expansion of the Reactor Pilot Program), not among the original 11 pilot projects; would site a test reactor on a university campus
No stated criticality or deployment timeline as of July 2026; selected under the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad (Launch Pad USA pathway), joint NuCube-ISU announcement April 29, 2026
Details
| Design | Advanced Research and Test (ART) reactor — TRISO-fueled, heat-pipe-cooled solid-state microreactor adapted from NuCube's ~4-MWth NuSun platform |
| Capacity | Undisclosed |
Milestone history
- Announced April 27, 2026
- Construction start —
- Fuel load —
- First criticality —