- Researchers at the University of Florida are developing advanced technologies to detect nuclear activity from space.
- This work is funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency through its Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Matter University Research Alliance and the National Nuclear Security Administration through its Consortium for Nuclear Forensics.
- The goal is to make space-based detection more reliable, more accurate and more impactful.
Researchers at the University of Florida are advancing new technologies to detect nuclear activity from space, positioning the university at the forefront of a rapidly evolving area of national security and space research.
Kyle C. Hartig, Ph.D., and James Baciak, Ph.D., professors in UF’s Nuclear Engineering Program, and members of the UF Astraeus Space Institute, are leading two complementary projects focused on space-based remote sensing for nuclear security. The work is supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the National Nuclear Security Administration through its nuclear forensics consortium.
Together, the efforts aim to develop next-generation detectors capable of identifying faint nuclear-related signals from orbit. This is a critical capability as space becomes increasingly important for both scientific exploration and global security.