The future of American leadership in space will hinge on one factor: the ability to generate high power on orbit and on the surface of celestial bodies such as the moon.

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Jordan Bramble is CEO and co-founder of Antares, a California-based startup building a kilowatt scale nuclear fission microreactor for commercial and military applications on Earth and in space.

Tom Mancinelli is Head of Strategy and Policy at Antares. He previously served as Acting Under Secretary of the Navy and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.