North Korea Expanding Suspected Uranium Enrichment Site, Satellite Imagery Shows
Colin Zwirko | NK Pro
North Korea has started to expand a suspected nuclear facility near Pyongyang, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, after leader Kim Jong Un called for increasing nuclear weapon production last year. Planet Labs and Airbus images of the main building at the Kangson site alleged to house uranium enrichment operations show workers have been building a new annex along the length of the rear (west) side of the building since last month. A new rear wall around 395 feet long (120 meters) was built about 40 feet (12 meters) away from the rear of the building, while blue-colored roofing was installed covering the 10,760 square-foot (1,000 square-meter) area between March 16 and 23.
S. Korea to Launch 2nd Spy Satellite in Early April
Kim Eun-jung | Yonhap News Agency
South Korea plans to launch its second military satellite in early April, the defense ministry said Monday, under a project to launch five satellites to better monitor North Korea. South Korea launched the first surveillance satellite using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from a U.S. military base in California last December. It is set to launch the second one from a U.S. military base in Florida as part of a project to acquire five spy satellites by 2025.
United Kingdom Reveals ‘Sovereign’ Nuclear Warhead Name: Astraea
TIM MARTIN | Breaking Defense
Britain’s new nuclear warhead program has been dubbed the A21/Mk7 or Astraea, a national nuclear deterrent strategy revealed for the first time today. The future warhead to replace submarine-launched Trident systems will be developed as a “sovereign” capability and “in parallel” with the US W93/Mk7 warhead, according to the Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper. The document did not disclose a cost estimate for the Replacement Warhead program or a timeline for entry to service, though the UK has previously said the weapon system will be “available” in the 2030s. It is also unclear if a final design for the A21/Mk7 warhead has been approved. US budget documents state the W93 has not yet developed a complete design definition,” so if the two are being developed in parallel it is likely the A21 is still in early design mode. (Flight tests for the W93 are slated for the 2027-2029 timeframe, per the budget documents.)
Laser Enrichment Company Declines HALEU Opportunity, Moves Forward with Testing
World Nuclear News
Global Laser Enrichment has decided not to submit a proposal in response to a US Department of Energy request for the acquisition of high-assay low-enriched uranium enrichment, its 51%-owner Silex Systems has announced. The company has also received regulatory approval to load uranium hexafluoride for the start of testing to demonstrate the technology it plans to use in its enrichment facility at Paducah in Kentucky…Global Laser Enrichment LLC (GLE) is the exclusive global licensee of the SILEX laser-based uranium enrichment technology which was originally developed by Australian company Silex. It is 49%-owned by Canadian company Cameco, which is the commercial lead for the GLE project and holds an option to attain a majority interest of 75%.
Filling Nuclear Power’s $5 Trillion Hole Is Beyond the Banks
Jonathan Tirone | Bloomberg
Nuclear-energy officials arrived in Brussels this week amid a growing wave of public support for atomic power. They left humbled by the tepid reaction of bankers assessing the price tag of their ambitions.The International Atomic Energy Agency convened a summit to build momentum for a low-emissions technology that many expect will be critical for hitting climate targets. A group of mostly Western countries pledged to triple nuclear generation by 2050. But lenders balked at the eyewatering cost of doing so.
Let’s Say Someone Did Drop the Bomb. Then What?
Barry Gewen | New York Times
In “Nuclear War” and “Countdown,” Annie Jacobsen and Sarah Scoles talk to the people whose job it is to prepare for atomic conflict.