Legal Insurrection by Leslie Eastman 6/22/2026
Ward 250’s success confirms Trump nuclear push is delivering hardware, not just headlines.Legal Insurrection recently reported that American energy development cleared a major technical hurdle after Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 microreactor achieved zero-power criticality under the Department of Energy (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).
The successful test marked the first advanced reactor to meet the ambitious July 4, 2026, deadline set by President Trump’s 2025 executive order to accelerate next-generation nuclear deployment.
Now, there is another.
Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 advanced reactor is now officially the second major success under the RPP, after the reactor completed a zero‑power fueled criticality demonstration at the San Rafael Energy Lab in Emery County, Utah.
Valar Atomics announced that its Ward 250 nuclear reactor has reached self-sustaining criticality and completed zero-power testing in a Utah energy lab ahead of the July 4 deadline.
More:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/06/u-s-nuclear-acceleration-effort-hits-big-milestone-with-second-successful-criticality-test/