Balerion Senior Associate Aidan Daoussis sits down with Advisor Doug McAdams to discuss the nuclear fission renaissance and space nuclear power. The conversation covers naval nuclear propulsion, small modular reactors, advanced fuels, nuclear supply chains, and the role of fission in space power and propulsion. Doug also discusses where nuclear may matter most for defense, lunar infrastructure, Mars missions, and future space transportation.

Timestamped Overview

00:00 – Introduction and Doug McAdams’ background02:10 – The Navy nuclear program as an early deep tech model05:20 – Nuclear submarines, deterrence, and undersea operations09:20 – Naval reactors as early small modular reactors12:05 – Uranium enrichment, HALEU, and fuel supply chains14:45 – Autonomous underwater vehicles and nuclear power16:25 – Life aboard a nuclear submarine and reactor operations17:50 – Nuclear safety, public perception, and reactor design22:40 – Future submarine architectures and unmanned systems26:10 – Space nuclear power compared with naval reactors30:05 – Early space reactor deployment and orbital demonstrations32:50 – Nuclear electric versus nuclear thermal propulsion37:20 – Commercial space use cases for nuclear reactors39:10 – Fusion propulsion and Mars transit concepts41:45 – Fission today, fusion tomorrow, and industry timelines43:45 – AI data centers, power demand, and the fission renaissance46:05 – NRC regulation, Naval Reactors, and parallel approval paths48:20 – Nuclear supply chain winners and manufacturing bottlenecks54:30 – Investor areas to watch: fission, space nuclear, and fusion propulsion

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit balerionspace.substack.com