Radiant Industries

Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

Radiant Industries (operating as Radiant Nuclear) is a Los Angeles microreactor developer founded in 2020 by CEO Doug Bernauer, a 12-year SpaceX veteran who worked on Grasshopper avionics and Mars power concepts, and CTO/co-founder Bob Urberger. The company’s Kaleidos is a portable, assembly-line-manufactured microreactor targeting 1+ MWe output using TRISO fuel and helium cooling, designed to operate for years without refueling and to be deployed wherever grid power is impractical — remote sites, disaster response, military installations, and data centers. Radiant has raised over $525 million cumulatively across four rounds (Series A through D, the latest a $300M+ Series D in December 2025), and is, by funding and regulatory progress, the most advanced company in DOE’s Nuclear Energy Launch Pad cohort: it was the first new US reactor design selected for testing in DOE’s DOME test bed at Idaho National Laboratory, received DOE’s first-ever full-power microreactor test authorization in February 2026, and became the first microreactor company to advance to NRC Part 70 license review (accepted May 2026) for its planned production facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Commercial commitments include a 20-unit preorder from Equinix and a US Air Force contract to deliver Kaleidos units to Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, by 2028.

Key Facts

Founded: 2020
HQ: Los Angeles, CA
Type: Private; ~$525M+ raised cumulatively across Series A–D (Series C total reported as $225M cumulative as of May 2025; Series D added $300M+ in December 2025)
CEO & Co-Founder: Doug Bernauer
CTO & Co-Founder: Bob Urberger
Chief Nuclear Officer: Dr. Rita Baranwal
Chief Revenue Officer: Mike Starrett
Reactor: Kaleidos — portable microreactor, >1 MWe output
Fuel: TRISO particle fuel
Coolant: Helium (high-temperature, helium-cooled design)
Refueling interval: Multi-year (reported as 5 years in Equinix preorder materials); no on-site refueling — designed for factory servicing/replacement
Manufacturing target: Up to 50 reactors/year by 2028 from the R-50 production facility, Oak Ridge, TN (a former Manhattan Project site)
DOE DOME selection: July 2, 2025 — first new US reactor design selected for testing at DOE/NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed, Idaho National Laboratory
DOE safety milestone: DOE Authorization Request for Kaleidos (DARK) approved February 9, 2026 — first-ever DOE full-power microreactor test authorization; clears path to summer 2026 reactor startup in DOME
NRC status: R-50 Part 70 license application (for the fueling building of the Oak Ridge production facility) accepted for review May 2026; NRC committed to an accelerated 8-month review, targeting completion December 18, 2026 (~55% faster than the standard 18-month Part 70 timeline) — first microreactor company to reach this stage
DOE Nuclear Energy Launch Pad: Selected April 27–28, 2026 as one of the program’s first four companies (Launch Pad INL pathway), alongside Deployable Energy, General Matter, and NuCube Energy
Commercial commitments: Equinix preorder + deposits for 20 Kaleidos units (announced August 14, 2025); US Air Force contract to deliver Kaleidos units to Buckley Space Force Base, Aurora, CO, targeting 2028 delivery under the Advanced Nuclear for Power and Innovation (ANPI) program goal of an operating advanced reactor on a Department of the Air Force installation by 2030
HALEU allocations: Received a first DOE HALEU allocation supporting its demonstration reactor, and a second allocation (announced as part of a third allocation round, July 23, 2026) supporting the Buckley Space Force Base deployment
Commercial deployment target: First reactor test 2026 (DOME); first customer deliveries 2028

What It Is / How It Works

Portable, factory-built, TRISO-fueled: Kaleidos is designed from the outset as a manufactured product rather than a site-built plant — the explicit goal is an assembly-line process that can turn out up to 50 units per year once the Oak Ridge R-50 facility is operating at scale. TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) particle fuel is the same fuel form used by Kairos Power and X-energy elsewhere in this research section, chosen across the advanced-reactor industry for its inherent containment of fission products within each fuel particle’s ceramic coating layers, which supports passive safety claims without relying on active cooling systems. Helium cooling avoids water-reactivity and pressurization concerns associated with water-cooled designs.

DOME as shared federal test infrastructure: DOME (Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments) is a DOE/NRIC test bed at Idaho National Laboratory built specifically to let private microreactor developers test full designs without each company needing to build independent federal test infrastructure. Radiant’s selection as the first new US reactor design tested there (the facility’s first use in nearly 50 years for a genuinely new domestic reactor design, per company materials) is a significant sequencing advantage — the DARK safety authorization in February 2026 was the first full-power microreactor test authorization DOE has ever issued, ahead of the other Launch Pad and Reactor Pilot Program companies.

Regulatory lead over peers: Radiant’s R-50 Part 70 license application, accepted by the NRC in May 2026, makes it the first microreactor company in the Launch Pad cohort — and among all companies tracked in this research section — to reach formal NRC license review for a production facility, as distinct from a one-off DOE-authorized demonstration unit. The application specifically covers the fueling building at Oak Ridge, a necessary step because Radiant’s business model depends on fueling reactors at the factory before shipment, unlike site-fueled designs.

Defense and hyperscaler dual-track commercialization: Radiant is pursuing defense installations (Buckley Space Force Base, under the Air Force’s ANPI program) and data center operators (Equinix’s 20-unit preorder) as parallel initial markets — both value grid-independent, rapidly deployable power, and both can absorb higher per-unit costs during early production than commodity grid-scale power would allow.

Notable Developments

2026-04-27/28: Selected as one of DOE’s first four Nuclear Energy Launch Pad companies (Launch Pad INL pathway), alongside Deployable Energy, General Matter, and NuCube Energy.
2026-04-22: US Air Force selects Radiant to deliver Kaleidos microreactors to Buckley Space Force Base, Aurora, CO, under the ANPI program; delivery targeted for 2028. (Radiant Nuclear)
2026-02-09: DOE approves Radiant’s DOE Authorization Request for Kaleidos (DARK) — first-ever DOE full-power microreactor test authorization; clears path to summer 2026 DOME startup. (Radiant Nuclear)
2025-12-17: Closes $300M+ Series D, led by Draper Associates and Boost VC, to fund R-50 factory construction in Oak Ridge, TN. (Radiant Nuclear)
2025-08-14: Announces Equinix preorder and deposits for 20 Kaleidos microreactors. (AccessWire)
2025-07-02: Conditionally selected by DOE as the first new US reactor design to be tested in the DOME test bed at Idaho National Laboratory. (Radiant Nuclear)
2025-05-28: Closes $165M Series C led by DCVC; $225M cumulative venture funding to date at that point. (Radiant Nuclear)
2026-05 (NRC acceptance date; company milestone precedes it): NRC accepts Radiant’s R-50 Part 70 license application for the Oak Ridge, TN fueling building, with an accelerated 8-month review targeting December 18, 2026. (ANS Nuclear Newswire)
2020: Founded by Doug Bernauer and Bob Urberger, following prior work with scientists at Argonne and Idaho National Laboratories to develop the microreactor concept.

Key People

Doug Bernauer — CEO & Co-Founder

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/doug-bernauer
Background: 12 years at SpaceX, including leading avionics for Grasshopper (SpaceX’s first rocket with landing legs) and working on power solutions for a potential Mars colony; describes SpaceX as his primary technical education
Notes: Bernauer’s SpaceX propulsion/avionics background is a recurring pattern across this research section’s microreactor founders — compare Bobby Gallagher of Deployable Energy, whose team similarly draws on aerospace/defense manufacturing discipline rather than incumbent nuclear utility experience

Bob Urberger — CTO & Co-Founder

LinkedIn: not confidently found (common name; no verified profile matching this role identified)
Background: Co-founded Radiant with Bernauer in 2020; worked with scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory prior to founding to develop the Kaleidos concept; leads engineering across the company’s disciplines per company statements

Dr. Rita Baranwal — Chief Nuclear Officer

LinkedIn: not found
Background: Quoted as CNO in DOE DARK approval announcement (February 2026); prior public record includes senior DOE Office of Nuclear Energy leadership (unverified in this session — flagged for follow-up review)

Mike Starrett — Chief Revenue Officer

LinkedIn: not found
Background: Quoted in both the Equinix preorder and Buckley Space Force Base announcements as Radiant’s commercial lead

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-08-18

Supply Chain Position

Layer	Detail
Fuel	TRISO particle fuel — same fuel form as Kairos Power and X-energy elsewhere in this section; fabricator not confirmed in sources reviewed (BWXT is the only US TRISO particle manufacturer per this section’s existing supply chain notes)
HALEU allocation	Two DOE HALEU allocations received (demonstration reactor, then Buckley SFB deployment); specific quantities not disclosed
Manufacturing	R-50 factory, Oak Ridge, TN — former Manhattan Project site; groundbreaking targeted early 2026; NRC Part 70 fueling-building license under accelerated review (target decision Dec 18, 2026)
Testing site	DOME test bed, National Reactor Innovation Center, Idaho National Laboratory — shared federal infrastructure also used by other Reactor Pilot Program / Launch Pad companies
Commercial offtake (downstream)	Equinix (20-unit preorder, Aug 2025); US Air Force / Buckley Space Force Base (ANPI program, delivery target 2028)
Key investors	Draper Associates, Boost VC (Series D leads); DCVC (Series C lead); Andreessen Horowitz (Series B lead); Founders Fund, Union Square Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, ARK Venture Fund, and others across rounds

⚑ Shared investor with General Matter: Founders Fund is a named investor in Radiant’s funding history and also incubated and led the Series A of General Matter, the fuel-supply company also documented in this section — a single venture firm has meaningful exposure to both the reactor and fuel layers of the DOE Nuclear Energy Launch Pad cohort.

Claim Verification

Claim: Kaleidos will deliver “more than 1 MW” for “years without refueling,” fully portable and grid-independent

Status: Partially verified — the design specifications are consistently reported, but no Kaleidos unit has yet operated commercially or completed its first full-power test as of last review

Supporting: DOE’s February 2026 DARK approval is real, independently confirmed DOE authorization for full-power testing — a genuine, verifiable regulatory milestone distinguishing Radiant from companies still awaiting DOE test authorization; the design specifications (>1 MWe, TRISO fuel, helium cooling, multi-year refueling) are consistent across company materials, DOE announcements, and independent press coverage

Refuting / questioning: As of this review, Kaleidos has not completed a full-power operational test — the DOME startup was targeted for summer 2026, and no independent post-test performance data was available in sources reviewed; “years without refueling” and portability claims remain design targets pending demonstrated field operation

Summary: Radiant’s regulatory and funding progress is unusually well-documented and verifiable relative to peers in this section, but the core performance claims (output, refueling interval, portability under real operating conditions) remain unverified pending the DOME full-power test results.

Claim: 50 reactors/year manufacturing capacity by 2028

Status: Unverified design-stage target

Supporting: The R-50 facility is a real, funded (Series D-backed) production facility under NRC Part 70 review for its fueling building — a concrete regulatory and capital commitment beyond a bare marketing claim

Refuting / questioning: No nuclear reactor manufacturer — of any design type, at any company — has yet demonstrated true assembly-line production of multiple reactors per year; the closest historical analogues (naval reactor programs) operated at far lower cadence under different regulatory and cost structures; Radiant’s own commercial deployment target of “2028” for first customer deliveries implies the 50-unit/year target is a scale-up milestone beyond that, with limited public detail on the ramp timeline

Summary: The manufacturing ambition is credible in terms of funding and site development but remains an unproven claim consistent with this section’s general skepticism toward nuclear construction/manufacturing timeline claims — track first-unit delivery in 2028 as the leading indicator before assessing scale-up credibility.

The Infinite Unknown