# AM Rocket Engines and Space Nuclear Power with Omar Mireles

- Show: [Additive Snack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack)
- Published: 2026-06-23
- Length: 1h 58m
- Episode: 35
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/eb349840

## Summary

Omar Mireles, Director of Manufacture and Materials at Space Nuclear Power Corporation (Space Nukes), discusses how additive manufacturing (AM) accelerates the development of space nuclear reactors and liquid rocket engines. He details his career at NASA, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos, focusing on the challenges of printing refractory metals like niobium and tungsten, and explains Space Nukes' goal of delivering safe, affordable power anywhere in the solar system using a Krusty design heritage. Mireles outlines an aggressive ~2-year flight timeline, noting that heat rejection and regulatory barriers are the primary constraints, while AM enables part consolidation and weight reduction in complex geometries.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=6) Introduction: Omar Mireles and Space Nuclear Power Corporation
- [2:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=125) Mireles' Career: NASA, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos
- [26:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=1561) Additive Manufacturing's Role in the Modern Space Race
- [37:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=2260) Rocket Engine Manufacturing: AM vs. Traditional Methods
- [41:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=2466) Challenges of Refractory Metals in Additive Manufacturing
- [55:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=3357) Nuclear Reactor Basics and Generations
- [1:17:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=4648) Space Nukes' Mission and Krusty Test Heritage
- [1:37:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=5833) Heat Rejection Challenges and AM Opportunities
- [1:49:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2026-06-23-am-rocket-engines-and-space-nuclear-power-with-omar-mireles#t=6565) Flight Timeline and Regulatory Barriers

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Space Nuclear Power Corporation (company)
- Space Nukes (company)
- NASA (company)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (company)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (company)
- Krusty (product)
- SNAP-10A (product)
- Delft (product)
- SAFE-100 (product)
- Concept Laser (company)
- X-Line 1000 R (product)
- C103 (material)
- Niobium (material)
- Tantalum (material)
- Rhenium (material)
- Molybdenum (material)
- Tungsten (material)
- Westinghouse (company)
- Penn United (company)

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- [21. AI Rescues Firefighters, NASA Prints Spacecraft Parts, Plug & Play Prosthetics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2021-06-08-21-ai-rescues-firefighters-nasa-prints-spacecraft-parts-plug-play-prosthetics) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Will advanced reactors solve nuclear's problems?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-02-25-will-advanced-reactors-solve-nuclears-problems) (Catalyst)
- [Ep 285: Learning Laser Tricks, Rocket Science, and a Laptop That's Not a Laptop](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2024-08-23-ep-285-learning-laser-tricks-rocket-science-and-a-laptop-thats-not-a-laptop) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Why Your Toughest Parts Still Use 50-Year-Old Materials w/ Fazal Mahmood](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-09-08-why-your-toughest-parts-still-use-50-year-old-materials-w-fazal-mahmood) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

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