Antares Nuclear was selected for both the DOE Reactor Pilot Programme (targeting July 4, 2026 criticality at INL) and as one of eight vendors for the DoD Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations programme in April 2025. Antares is developing a compact HTGR microreactor targeted at military base energy security and remote industrial applications. The dual selection positions Antares as one of the most broadly backed US microreactor developers — with both civilian DOE and military DoD programme participation.