US to begin making nuclear fuel for space missions again

Forbes : Plutonium-238 is a humanmade radioactive isotope that the US has used for decades in radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power deep-space probes such as New Horizons. But the supply is nearly depleted, so in the next two to three years the Department of Energy will begin producing the material again. It will be the first time any country has produced the isotope in nearly 30 years. Originally it was created as a by-product of nuclear weapons development, so when Russia and the US stopped producing new weapons, they also stopped producing ²³⁸Pu. In fact, much of the US supply since the 1990s has been purchased from Russia, but now both countries are nearly out. The DOE is refurbishing facilities in Idaho and Tennessee to process the plutonium without also generating weapons-grade material. When the facilities are operational, they will be producing only about 1.4 kg of ²³⁸Pu each year.