Department of Energy Engineering Support

Since 1972, Orbital and its predecessor companies have been providing technical engineering services to the Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE-50). Over that time, Orbital has supported NE-50 technological accomplishments in the areas of space nuclear power, terrestrial, and marine isotope power programs. Key to NE-50 support are Orbital’s engineering liaisons that have provided analysis and design services for safe launch and operations of numerous nuclear space power programs, including the Galileo, Ulysses and Cassini missions.

Current activities include:

• Assessing NASA and DOE developments in nuclear power systems for current and prospective space missions
• Assessing DOD and DOE developments in nuclear power systems for current and prospective terrestrial applications
• Reviewing technical activities involved in space reactor power system applications
• Providing nuclear safety analyses support for various missions
• Providing nuclear power program scheduling assistance through the use of Primavera software

For more information, please contact Robert Carpenter at (240) 686-1683 or Kathi Yates at (240) 686-1688.