About Us
At Antares, our long-term mission is to make clean energy abundant from Earth to the Asteroid Belt. We’re fueled by the belief that advanced nuclear energy can strengthen our military, solve the climate crisis, elevate global living standards, and expand humanity's presence in outer space. To achieve our mission, we’re building mass-producible, inherently safe, deployable microreactors that can be used terrestrially, underwater, and in space.
The Antares team hails from SpaceX, the White House, the Pentagon, the Department of Energy, MIT, Rigetti Computing, General Atomics, Relativity Space, Ursa Major, and National Laboratories like Idaho, Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Savannah River. Antares has raised over $600M in venture capital from top-tier investors and has hundreds of million-dollars on contract with the military services, NASA, and the Department of Energy.
About the Summer Internship Program
Internships at Antares are anything but ordinary. You'll work alongside our team as we design, build, and test fission microreactors built to deliver reliable energy for critical missions on Earth, in space, and underwater.
Our interns contribute to real work from day one. Depending on your role, you may touch hardware, write and test software, support manufacturing and operations, or help build the systems that allow Antares to move quickly as we scale. You'll work alongside engineers, operators, and other experts solving challenging problems—and you'll leave your internship with hands-on experience that's difficult to find anywhere else.
We work hard, move quickly, and take pride in what we're building. If you're excited to learn by doing and want to contribute to the next generation of nuclear energy, we'd love to have you join us next summer.
We will be running two separate cohorts to accommodate students on both semester and quarter schedules:
Cohort #1
Monday, May 17 – Friday, August 13
Cohort #2
Monday, June 14 – Friday, September 10
All internship roles are based at our Torrance headquarters and require interns to work onsite five days per week. We will not be considering candidates for remote or hybrid arrangements.
Interns will receive a relocation and housing stipend as part of their offer package.
About the Team
The Software team builds the software that enables Antares engineers to operate, test, and understand our reactor systems. The team works across embedded software, hardware interfaces, controls, telemetry, testing, and developer tools, connecting software with the physical hardware being designed and tested across Antares.
As a Software Engineering Intern, you will work on embedded software and the systems used to test, diagnose, and understand the behavior of Antares hardware. Your work will span software development, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and system telemetry, giving you hands-on exposure to the connection between software and physical systems.
Interns will be tasked with small starter projects, and then quickly tasked with a long-duration project that will culminate in a technical deliverable and presentation. You will be integrated and evaluated as if you are a first-year junior engineer, not just an “intern”. The bar for success here is high, and the expectation is that you’re able to smartly use your mentor and the resources around you to execute on your project and identify more issues and opportunities for improvement.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Support the development, debugging, and testing of embedded software, including hardware interfaces, diagnostic capabilities, automated testing, and development tools.
Perform hands-on testing and validation of hardware-in-the-loop environments, executing test procedures and evaluating system behavior against expected results.
Reproduce and investigate software and hardware-in-the-loop failures, document results, and help identify the source of unexpected system behavior.
Improve test coverage and validation processes based on findings from hands-on system testing.
Improve system telemetry from source to destination by instrumenting software components and routing and validating telemetry data.
Integrate system signals into HMI and Grafana so system health and behavior are consistently available for monitoring and troubleshooting.
Basic Qualifications:
Enrolled in at least a bachelor’s degree program, and going into your Junior or Senior year of studies
Must have prior internship experience, or significant (>1yr) project team, laboratory, or research experience
Preferred Skills & Experience:
GPA of 3.5 or above
Experience developing, debugging, or testing embedded software
Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing or other hands-on software/hardware integration and validation
Experience with software instrumentation, telemetry, or system monitoring
Experience with HMI and/or Grafana
Experience in a University club or organization, leadership role preferred
Strong interpersonal and technical communication skills (examples: leading a student project team, presenting research at conferences, etc.)
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
Ability to work cross-departmentally with different groups and teams
Ability to work effectively in a dynamic environment with changing needs and requirements
Ability to work independently and in a team, take initiative, and communicate effectively
Location
We are located in Torrance, CA in a 322,000 square foot, brand new facility featuring large open spaces for team collaboration, R&D, and production, as well as easy access to the 405, 105, and 110 freeways. Our facility is in the heart of Los Angeles' vibrant emerging tech ecosystem alongside many other high growth startups and enterprises.
Culture
At Antares, we like to specifically tie each role to our founding document’s set of values–here are the top five cultural values we think you should believe at your core to be successful:
Think in Systems - Energy and Defense are complex ecosystems with numerous stakeholders with competing priorities, conflicting policies, perverse incentives, and emergent and path-dependent properties. First principles thinking alone is insufficient. Think probabilistically and then take action. “If you want to be certain, then you are apt to be obsolete.” Over-optimizing the components often degrades the system
Obsess over the End User - The customer and end user are often not the same. We will never build globally competitive commercial products if we lose sight of our end users and their entire interaction with the product life cycle
Be Unconstrained by Convention - Our only limits are the laws of physics. Many, even experts, will say what we are working on is impossible. They said the same about SpaceX reusing rockets. Generationally impactful companies, by definition, must accomplish the seemingly impossible. If it were easy, it would have already been done. Never shy away from a solution because it has never been tried before, and never choose to do something because that's “how it's always been done”
Go Where the Work Is - Never miss a chance to meet a customer, user, or stakeholder face to face, even if that means hopping on a plane. If you can’t make it, find a teammate who can channel your intentions and go in your place. Deep work can be done from anywhere, but we believe teams are built in person, and aim to maximize our time together
Operate in the Grey - Embrace nuance in pursuit of truth. Question every fundamental assumption
Equal Opportunity
Antares is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Preparing company description.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$757M
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
Founded
2023
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Exosens supports the accelerating deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies in the U.S. October 08, 2026 12:00 ET | Source: Exosens * Key milestones achieved under the U.S. Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program highlight the accelerating deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies * Exosens' advanced neutron flux monitoring detectors supported successful criticality demonstrations by Antares Nuclear and Valar Atomics, underscoring the relevance of its technologies across Small Modular Reactor (SMR) applications * These achievements are expected to translate into near-term pre-series production orders and support long-term demand for Exosens' nuclear instrumentation solutions Press release, Mérignac (France), 8 October 2026 - Exosens (EXENS; FR001400Q9V2), a high-tech company focused on providing mission- and performance-critical amplification, detection and imaging technologies, today announces its contribution to two successful criticality demonstrations for next-generation nuclear reactors under the U.S. Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program. In August 2025, the program initially selected 11 advanced reactor projects with the goal of bringing at least three reactor designs to criticality by 4 July 2026. The program exceeded that objective, with four projects reaching this milestone by the deadline. These achievements mark a decisive step towards the commercial deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies on an accelerated timeline in the United States, particularly across SMR applications. Against this backdrop, Exosens supplied high-performance neutron detectors and related technical expertise to Antares Nuclear and Valar Atomics, the developers behind the first two reactor designs to reach criticality as part of the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program. Integrated into safety-related neutron flux monitoring systems, these advanced detectors provide the measurements required to monitor reactor power and track the approach to criticality during start-up and testing. These achievements are expected to translate into pre-series production orders in the near term and support long-term demand for Exosens' nuclear instrumentation solutions across the U.S. market. "The move towards commercial deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies is accelerating in the United States, supported by increasing demand for reliable, carbon-free power, notably to meet the unprecedented energy requirements of AI-enabled data centers. This momentum is reinforcing investment in SMR technologies and driving demand for high-performance instrumentation designed for demanding nuclear environments, creating significant long-term growth opportunities for Exosens. Already providing advanced nuclear detection solutions for seven SMR-related projects across the United States and Europe, Exosens leverages its differentiated technologies, deep nuclear expertise and industrial capabilities to address these needs and support the long-term development of the SMR market," said Jérôme Cerisier, CEO of Exosens. "Achieving criticality is a defining milestone in next-generation reactor development. The progress made by Antares Nuclear and Valar Atomics demonstrates the pace of innovation across the U.S. nuclear industry. We are proud to have supported these successful demonstrations through Exosens' advanced neutron flux monitoring technologies, and look forward to helping reactor developers as they move from first-of-a-kind testing towards safe, reliable commercial deployment," said Cyril Barre, Nuclear Instrumentation Director at Exosens. Financial calendar * 27/10/2026: 9M 2026 revenue and adjusted gross margin (before market opening). * 22/02/2027: FY 2026 results (before market opening). About Exosens Exosens is a high-tech company with more than 85 years of experience in the innovation, development, manufacturing and sale of high-end electro-optical technologies in the fields of amplification, detection and imaging. Today, it offers its customers detectors and imaging solutions such as digital cameras, ion, electron, neutron and gamma-ray detectors as well as image intensifier tubes. This enables Exosens to address complex challenges in extremely demanding environments by providing its customers with tailor-made solutions. Thanks to its sustained investment, Exosens is internationally recognized as a major innovator in optoelectronics, with production and R&D activities carried out at 13 sites across Europe and North America and more than 2,000 employees. Exosens is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: EXENS - ISIN: FR001400Q9V2). Exosens is a member of the Euronext Tech Leaders segment and is also included in several indices, including SBF 120, CAC All-Tradable, CAC Mid 60, FTSE Total Cap and MSCI France Small Cap. For more information: www.exosens.com. Investor Relations Media Relations
Antares, Centrus sign multi-year HALEU contract. Friday, 18 September 2026 Pre-payments under the contract will support Centrus's ongoing expansion of its uranium enrichment capacity, with deliveries of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to support Antares' advanced reactor projects, including for space and national security missions, to begin by the end of the decade. Antares is developing modular, transportable reactors, fuelled using TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) HALEU fuel. The company's Antares 0 achieved criticality in June, becoming the first reactor under the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program to achieve criticality by the deadline of 4 July set in 2025 by US President Donald Trump. The fuel for the criticality demonstration was provided by BWX Technologies, Inc. "Fuel supply is one of the practical questions every advanced reactor developer has to answer," said Antares co-founder and CEO Jordan Bramble. "This contract gives Antares a reliable, US-origin source of HALEU for the reactors we're deploying for a wide variety of defence and space customers." Centrus is already producing HALEU at its American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, and last year launched a multi-billion-dollar expansion including large-scale production of HALEU as well as the low-enriched uranium used in today's operating nuclear power plants. The contract is a sign that demand for HALEU is real and is accelerating, Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler said. "Binding orders from Antares and others are supporting our expansion to commercial-scale production - an expansion that is now well under way." In August, Antares was one of five microreactor developers selected by the US Department of the Army for deployment at five Department of War installations, under the Janus programme - the next-generation nuclear power programme - which, under an Executive Order signed by Trump in May 2025, aims for operation of an Army-regulated nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation no later than 30 September 2028. Antares is to construct and operate nuclear microreactor power at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, under the programme. It has also been selected for deployment at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, under the US Air Force's Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations programme, and is a recipient of a US Space Force Strategic Breakthrough award to demonstrate a space reactor. Certain nuclear applications in the USA, particularly those related to national security missions, require a supply of so-called unobligated enriched uranium: uranium that is free of peaceful use obligations that apply to uranium and certain technologies imported into the US under international agreements. Centrus's enrichment technology and manufacturing supply chain are of US origin, and its AC100 centrifuge design is the only deployment-ready enrichment technology capable of 'unobligated' enrichment, so the arrangement can provide Antares with fuel that could be used for a variety of national security applications. [Urenco's Magnus Mori and Antares' Tom Mancinelli pictured at World Nuclear Symposium (Image: World Nuclear Association)] Earlier this year, Antares signed a multi-year contract for the supply of HALEU with Urenco, to be produced at Urenco's HALEU enrichment facility in the UK. That facility, at the Capenhurst site in north-west England, is already being built with funding support from the UK government and is scheduled to come online in 2031. A diversity of supply sources is important to avoid over-reliance on single suppliers, Antares Head of Federal Strategy and Policy Tom Mancinelli said at a side event at World Nuclear Symposium 2026 last week. "Certainly we recognise how important it is that strategic inputs like fuel don't have any dependencies or vulnerabilities to foreign suppliers who could immediately cut something off," Mancinelli said in the event's Knowledge Zone. "It's simple to me. It comes down to supply and demand and where we have, in the case of Urenco, a demonstrated track record in enrichment - I welcome that sort of partnership, including if it's coming from Capenhurst or from (Urenco USA's enrichment plant in) New Mexico. We want to see an increase in supply from trusted Western partners who share our values, and so we think Urenco is a great fit for Antares."
Louisiana-based nuclear microreactor startup Antares has secured a $161 million Strategic Breakthrough award from the US Space Force to develop nuclear power systems for future space missions. The funding represents one of the largest current US defence investments in space nuclear power. Antares will first demonstrate its R1-S reactor design on the ground before integrating it with a spacecraft for flight certification. The company plans to begin testing its Mark-1 reactor in 2027, which will operate for over six months during the test campaign. The startup achieved a significant milestone in June when its Mark-0 microreactor reached initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory, making Antares the first private company to achieve advanced-reactor criticality under the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program. The US has not operated a nuclear reactor in space since NASA's SNAP-10A mission in 1965.
Antares wins $161 million Space Force award for nuclear reactor demonstration. September 11, 2026 Rendering of a nuclear-powered spacecraft in Earth orbit Antares has been selected for a $161 million Strategic Breakthrough award to demonstrate nuclear power technology for space, giving the nuclear energy company a path to test its R1-S reactor on the ground and integrate the system with a spacecraft ahead of flight certification and launch. The award was made through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration and represents the largest Department of War award for space nuclear power to date, according to Antares. Under the program, Antares will conduct a nuclear ground demonstration of its R1-S system before integrating the reactor with a spacecraft for flight certification. The work moves the company's compact fission technology toward an operational space mission rather than limiting development to reactor testing. Antares will also use Mark-1, its electricity-producing reactor, to power an operational ground-to-space asset. Testing of Mark-1 is scheduled for 2027, creating another step in validating how the company's reactor and power-conversion technologies perform as an integrated energy system. "This partnership with the Space Force turns that long-held vision into a codified space mission," CEO and co-founder Jordan Bramble said. "Fission will unlock strategic capabilities that are impossible today." The program addresses one of the central infrastructure constraints for more power-intensive spacecraft: generating reliable electricity while maintaining sufficient propulsion capacity for maneuvering. Nuclear fission could provide continuous power for systems with heavier computing requirements and other high-demand payloads without depending on conventional spacecraft power architectures alone. Antares is targeting applications including advanced computing, directed-energy systems and electromagnetic warfare. The company also sees nuclear power as a way to reduce propulsion-related operational constraints, potentially allowing spacecraft to conduct more dynamic maneuvers while maintaining power for onboard systems. The award builds on a reactor milestone Antares reached earlier this year. On June 4, 2026, its Mark-0 microreactor achieved initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory under Department of Energy authorization. Antares said the milestone made it the first private company to bring an advanced reactor to criticality through the DOE Reactor Pilot Program. The next stage centers on producing usable electricity. Antares plans to operate its Mark-1 reactor for more than six months in 2027, integrating it with the company's nitrogen closed Brayton cycle power-conversion system. That configuration is designed to move development beyond reactor physics and demonstrate an integrated system capable of converting reactor heat into electricity. Successfully coupling the reactor with power conversion is an important operational requirement for both terrestrial and space applications. The company's development sequence moves from Mark-0 criticality to extended Mark-1 electricity production, followed by the R1-S ground demonstration and spacecraft integration required for a potential flight mission. The Strategic Breakthrough program also aligns with federal plans to accelerate deployment of nuclear power beyond Earth. Antares said the award supports goals established by Executive Order 14369, "Ensuring American Space Superiority," and the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power established through NSTM-3. Those policies call for nuclear reactors to be launched into space as early as 2028 and deployed on the lunar surface by 2030. Founded in 2023, Antares is developing compact nuclear microreactors for defense and space applications. The company has raised more than $600 million and expects initial production deployments at U.S. military installations beginning in 2028. Antares operates facilities in Torrance, California; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Aiken, South Carolina. The $161 million award adds a dedicated space mission to a development program that is now moving from reactor criticality toward electricity generation, spacecraft integration and eventual deployment.
Antares wins $161M award for space nuclear power. Friday September 11, 2026 Waxing Crescent Payload in your inbox. In-depth research, exclusive data, and expert analysis on the business and policy of space. Get ahead of the competition.