Iran Enriches to 20% With New Centrifuges at Fortified Site
Nasser Karimi | Associated Press
Iran announced Sunday that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal. That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20% purity — a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord.
Test Rocket Carrying Component for Future Nuclear Armed ICBM Explodes After Takeoff
Barbara Starr | CNN
A test rocket carrying a component for a future US nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile blew up 11 seconds after takeoff Wednesday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to a statement from the base. An investigation is underway and the debris only affected the immediate launch pad area. This was the first test of the Mk21A Reentry Vehicle (RV) the part of the weapon that would hold a nuclear warhead if the system was operational. There was no nuclear element or armed component to this test.
In Yongbyon, Activity Detected at Nuclear Waste Storage Facility for First Time Since 2016
Ji Da-Gyum | Korea Herald
New excavation activity was detected at a nuclear waste storage facility within the Yongbyon nuclear complex for the first time since 2016, which could be part of North Korea’s preparations to produce plutonium. Commercial satellite images acquired on July 3 showed the new excavation activity on the west side of the waste storage building leading to an unused bay door, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said Monday. The facility, commonly known as Building 500, was used to store radioactive and toxic waste from earlier reprocessing campaigns at the radiochemical laboratory located at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center.
Mini Nuclear Reactors Land in Scientific Spat Over Waste Output
Daniel Moore | Bloomberg Law
A public fight over an academic study that cast doubt on advanced nuclear reactors’ waste promises has heightened a rift between supporters and skeptics of the technology as policy-makers seek to boost nuclear’s role in meeting climate-change goals. The fight has thrust the new reactor designs into one of nuclear energy’s political liabilities: the unaddressed question on what to do with nuclear waste. The study, co-authored by a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair, has come under fire from advanced reactor developers who argue it relied on outdated design criteria and skewed the volume of waste that could be generated in the future. One developer, NuScale Power, has demanded a correction.
Nuclear Notebook: How Many Nuclear Weapons Does India Have in 2022?
Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Nuclear Notebook column has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987. This issue examines the status of India’s nuclear arsenal, which includes approximately 160 warheads. India continues to modernize its nuclear arsenal, with at least four new weapons systems now under development to complement or replace existing nuclear-capable aircraft, land-based delivery systems, and sea-based systems. Several of these systems are nearing completion and will soon be combat-ready. India is estimated to have produced enough military plutonium for 140 to 210 nuclear warheads but has likely produced only 160. Nonetheless, additional plutonium will be required to produce warheads for missiles now under development, and India is reportedly building several new plutonium production facilities. India’s nuclear strategy, traditionally focused on Pakistan, now appears to place increased emphasis on China, and Beijing is now in range of Indian missiles.
NYC Prepares People for ‘Big One’ With Nuclear Attack PSA Video
Isabella Steger | Bloomberg
The city of New York released a public service announcement video outlining the three steps that residents should take in case of a nuclear attack. . . . The city department did not give details on how or when a nuclear attack might happen and said on its website the likelihood of one occurring in or near New York City is “very low,” but added it’s important New Yorkers know what to do in such a situation. This month, researchers at Louisiana State University ran multiple computer simulations to assess the impact of global and regional nuclear conflicts on the world’s oceans. It concluded that any conflict would plunge the world into darkness, cause temperatures to plummet and wipe out much of the world’s sea life in what it said would be a “nuclear little ice age.”