Space power research and development isn’t new to UDRI. But after steadily growing its R&D efforts in recent years by branching into commercial partnerships, our Office for Space & Power Systems is not only catching the eye of new and potential customers; it recently brought a major national space power conference to Dayton—a 42-year-old annual event traditionally held only in regions heavily involved in space missions, research, development and commercialization.
“Dayton is widely known for its legacy in aviation, but now it’s gaining a solid reputation for advanced research in space power and other aerospace technologies—and UDRI is playing a significant role in that,” said Chad Barklay, Director of Space Power Systems. “We were very proud to be selected to host the 2026 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space conference in April, in partnership with the American Nuclear Society. It confirmed that leaders in the field of space power are recognizing the significant growth of activities and advanced R&D in the field here in the Dayton region—and particularly at the Research Institute.”
The NETS conference convened more than 475 scientists, engineers and national leaders representing NASA, the Department of Energy, U.S. Space Command, national laboratories, academia and private industry to focus on advanced nuclear power and propulsion technologies that will enable missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
“There is a renewed national focus on nuclear technologies for space applications,” Chad said. “Programs such as NASA Ignition, which aims to build a permanent lunar base on the moon by 2030, are accelerating efforts to develop reliable power systems that will enable long-duration missions, such as sustained operations on the moon and future missions to Mars.”
“With that focus in mind, we worked extremely hard to transition NETS 2026 from a networking and information-sharing meeting to one that would engender real outcomes,” Chad added. “We specifically curated topics, panels and interactive sessions that would allow the experts and policy makers in attendance to work through technical and policy challenges and generate actionable recommendations to solve problems and move technologies forward.”
UDRI has long been involved in the development of advanced technologies for space applications across multiple disciplines, including propulsion, high-temperature materials, reusable boosters and vehicles, thermal systems, impact studies and more. In 2014, the Institute opened its “MMRTG” Lifecycle Testing Lab, dedicated to supporting the development of multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generators for Mars rover and deep space missions.
Today, Space Power Systems team members are also involved in the development of plug-and-play, radioisotope power systems for NASA’s Artemis lunar missions, and have submitted proposals for projects supporting the development of lunar habitats for humans and development of survive-the-night technologies that will allow small scientific rovers to operate during 14-day lunar nights, when temperatures can drop to -400 F near the poles.
“UDRI is uniquely positioned for the next era of space exploration because we don’t just study hard problems, we solve them—with talent, grit and imagination,” Chad said. “The future of space power, resilience and exploration will be built by organizations willing to do what others think is impossible, and that is exactly where UDRI thrives.”