Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, in partnership with the Nevada National Security Site, are collaborating on the development of Scorpius, a massive machine designed to capture images of plutonium as it undergoes compression using high explosives. The machine, which is being constructed a thousand feet below ground and spans the length of a football field, aims to replicate the conditions just prior to a nuclear explosion, providing valuable insights for national defense research.
According to a press release from Sandia National Laboratories, designing the injector responsible for creating the images was a significant engineering challenge. The project, known as Scorpius, is a $1.8 billion endeavor and is currently underway at the Nevada National Security Site.
"It’s clear we need to know that the stockpile will work if required," said Jon Custer, Sandia National Laboratories project lead. "Before President Bush’s testing moratorium in 1992, we knew it did since we were physically testing. Now we have computer codes. How well do they predict what really happens? Do we have accurate data we put into the codes? To answer these questions with higher fidelity, we need better experimental tools, and Scorpius is a major new experimental tool."
Scorpius has three key objectives. The first is to assess the impact of aging on plutonium to ensure the ongoing reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The second objective is to demonstrate that modern weapon designs influenced by past tests are as effective, if not more so, than their predecessors. Lastly, the machine aims to align theoretical and physical processes to validate future weapon simulations. These subcritical tests conducted by Scorpius will confirm that newly designed weapons, primarily reliant on supercomputer designs and potentially adapted for new materials and electronic advancements, will function effectively if deployed.
"We are looking forward to establishing this capability in 2027, conducting the first subcritical experiments using these new capabilities to support our nuclear deterrent and demonstrate once again our technical prowess as a nation," said Dave Funk, vice president for Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments at the Nevada National Security Site.
The development of Scorpius represents a significant step in advancing national defense capabilities and ensuring the reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The collaboration between Sandia, Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and the Nevada National Security Site demonstrates the commitment to staying at the forefront of scientific research and innovation in the field of national defense.
