Red, white and glowing blue: Trump’s push for new reactors reaches the finish line

Valar Atomics was one of the first companies to bring its new nuclear reactor online. It built its experimental design in a tentlike structure in the Utah desert, and on June 18 it went critical (nuclear-speak for switched on).

A program initiated by the Trump administration has allowed small companies to rush their testing of several new nuclear reactor designs. Some worry that safety is being compromised.

(Image credit: Valar Atomics)