A number of questions have been raised in recent months about the tactics and the capabilities of Valar Atomics, a California-based startup. The firm is one of ten competing in a Department of Energy program to show one or more of them can achieve criticality for its nuclear design by next July.
Valar Atomics has raised eyebrows with two publicity stunts. The first was a “cold critically” exercise at LLNL which was intended to promote the progress of the reactor design. The second was arranging for the transport of a mock up of its microreactor on a C-17 flying it from an airfield in California to an air force base in Utah. In terms of a public relations effort to showcase the reactor, it produced spectacular media coverage.
Three Cargo Jets No Waiting
Actually, there were three C-17s involved in the event. According to the Dessert News, a Utah newspaper, “Components of the 5-MW advanced nuclear reactor, manufactured by Valar Atomics in Southern California, were transported to Hill Air Force Base in Utah, aboard three U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft.”
According to avaiation industry trade press reports, operating costs for a C-17 hover around $25,000 per flight hour. This encompasses fuel consumption—approximately 10,000 pounds per hour—maintenance expenses including inspections and repairs, crew salaries, and other operational overheads. Assuming the flight time from take off to landing for the trip from California to Utah was roughly two-to-three hours, that’s about $75,000 per plane and with three planes comes to $225,000. According to news media reports, Valar paid for the flights.
The massive aircraft lift capacity of the C-17s used to move the Valar reactor pieces to Utah, also transported political heavy weights including Under Secretary of War Michael Duffey, Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), and a special guest, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, who delivered congratulatory remarks about entire project upon arrival at Hill AFB in Utah .
Was It a Real Test?
A real test would require a real reactor including all parts and shielding. Fuel would likely travel separately and be loaded in the reactor after being assembled at its destination. For microreactor developers thinking of replicating the Valar experience, note that the open source information about the C-17 is that the cargo compartment is 88 feet long by 18 feet wide by 12 feet 4 inches high. The maximum payload of the C-17 is 170,900 pounds or 85.5 tons.
With a payload of 160,000 pounds (80-tons) and an initial cruise altitude of 28,000 ft, the C-17 has an unrefueled range of about 2,400 nautical miles. The distance for the flights of the three aircraft from California to Utah was a piece of cake being a mere 700 miles. Even with these impressive numbers, it still took three of them to move all the parts of the Valar reactor mock up.
By comparison Radiant’s 1 MW microreactor reportedly weighs 70 tons or 140,000 pounds. Based on the dimensions posted on Radiant’s website, transportating the large 70 ton reactor, that is 11 ft high and 11 ft wide, in a single shipment will take only one C-17, not three, to fly the complete reactor to a military site. Power ratings matter beause they drive size and weight, and their numbers will determine the feasibility of delivering various microreactor designs by C-17 cargo aircraft.
The people at Project Pele, which is developing microreactors for the U.S. Army, and will build and test a prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory, probably liked Valor’s exercise since it proves the principle that size and weight issues for moving their microreactor via a C-17 are not necessarily show stoppers. The Project Pele 1.5 GW Triso fueled HTGR is designed to fit inside a standard shipping container.
A Cold Criticality Test Doesn’t Prove the Reactor Works
According to a report by World Nuclear News (WNN), last November the company said its NOVA Core achieved zero-power criticality at LANL’s National Criticality Experiments Research Center. Valar said it is collaborating with Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) National Criticality Experiments Research Center in Project NOVA (Nuclear Observations of Valar Atomics).
WNN reported that the project is a series of criticality experiments on Valar’s graphite-moderated core using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel, carried out under the oversight of the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration. The NOVA Core builds on LANL’s 2024 Deimos experiment, which was the first criticality experiment using HALEU fuel to be carried out in the USA in more than 20 years.
Last month Katy Huff, who served as the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy, commented to Latitude News Media that a “zero power criticality test” doesn’t prove a firm has a working nuclear reactor. Here’s is what she said;
“Katy Huff: It depends on the type of criticality. A “zero power criticality test” can be achieved without making real engineering progress on fuel or design; it simply checks if you can multiply neutrons. For example, Valor Atomics reached criticality at Los Alamos, but it was a cold zero power test that did not take the fuel up to actual power densities. I want to see “hot full power” criticality. Historically, the median time from pouring concrete to hot full power criticality is about two years. Most reactors are not on pace for the July 4th milestone because it is extremely aggressive and perhaps unfair to an industry that builds high-precision machines. The DOE was not prescriptive about whether they meant zero power or full power criticality, which might allow companies to declare victory even if the milestone is less meaningful.”
Separately, in 2024 Valar made an audacious claim to the Governor of Utah that it will build and operate a test nuclear reactor in Utah by 2026. On its face the claim is unbelievable due to the rigors of NRC licensing and time it takes to actually build one.
Does the Mother Jones Article Pass the Duck Test?
The third alarm bell that has rung, and it is a big bell, is a major article which appeared this week published by Mother Jones Magazine. It profiles the firm’s founders in detail concerning their lack of nuclear experience, political ties to the Trump White House, and use of a fund raising firm reported by the magazine to have ties to Kremlin oligarchs and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
This isn’t the first time Mother Jones has published an article detailing connections between Valar Atomics and the Trump Administration. In January 2025 the magaine reported that Valar Found Isaiah Taylor visited Mar A Lago in the company of a group of like minded tedchnology investors to present at an event called Nuclear Energy Space & Defense Tech Investor Summit. Taylor highlighted his role at the meeting via a post on “X” on 01/05/25.
The Mother Jones article contains so many amazing facts about Valor Atomics that appear to be inconsistent with expected actions of a nuclear energy start up that they generate an interest in what Wikipedia refers to as the “duck test.”
According to Wikipedia the duck test is a frequently cited colloquial example of abductive reasoning. Its usual expression is: If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
Wikipedia writes, “The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject’s habitual characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstract arguments that something might not be what it appears to be.”
It is up to readers to decide whether the Mother Jones article passes the “duck test” or might otherwise be classified as a case of “you can’t make this stuff up.” It is not alleged in the Mother Jones article that Valar Atomics has broken any laws nor violated any SEC investor rules.
One Investor Fact Follows Another
The Mother Jones article documents the ties Valar Atomics founder, 26 year old Isaiah Taylor has with an Idaho based Christian Nationalist Church. The magazine writes that Talor made connections through the church to an investment firm which was instrumental in booking a $130 million round in the firm’s future. Taylor’s Linkedin profile indicates he’s been leading Valor Atomics for the past two years and intially raised $19 million as seed funding.
Valar Atomics raised $19 million in a seed funding round to develop its first test reactor. The financing was led by Riot Ventures, with AlleyCorp, Initialized Capital, Day One Ventures, and Steel Atlas participating.
According to industry trade presss reports, the Series A round for the $130 million includes investors Snowpoint Ventures, the VC firm managed by Palantir’s former head of global defense, Doug Philippone, and also Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar. Others are Day One Ventures, Dream Ventures and Lockheed Martin board member John Donovan. The deal includes $25 million in debt.
Day One Ventures, a firm that says it aims to “back early-stage companies with customer obsession in their DNA.” Accordoing to the Mother Jones report, Day One’s founder and partner is Masha Bucher, who “is a one-time pro-Putin Russian political activist-turned Jeffery Epstein publicist-turned Silicon Valley kingmaker.”
Her credentials as listed in her Linkedin profile include a masters degree in public administration (2011) from Moscow State University and her decade long work history in the U.S. raising money for early startup firms.
In the Mother Jones article several executives from Valar Atomics refute the information in the article and defend the firm’s efforts to promote their reactor design as legitimate business operations.
That’s a lot to take in. What the firm has certainly done is it carried out several publicity efforts that earned it extensive media coverage. The rest of what is reported by Mother Jones is about some of Valor Atomics’ business relationships, the credentials and the lack of nuclear energy related experience of several of its key executives, and related information that raise serious questions about the company. Valor has, since it was formed, hired nuclear engineers on its staff and maintains it will cross the finish line in the DOE fission test by July 2026
Summary of Mother Jones Article
The Mother Jones article is a very long read about Valar Atomics. This is a 500 word summary.
Title: The Trump Administration’s Favorite Nuclear Startup Has Ties to Russia and Epstein, Also, Christian nationalism. Author: Kiera Butle, National Correspondent, Mother Jones, published on 02/26/26
A report from Mother Jones details the rapid rise of Valar Atomics, a Southern California nuclear startup led by 26-year-old Isaiah Taylor, which has gained significant traction under the Trump administration despite concerns regarding its safety claims and controversial financial ties.
Valar Atomics and Isaiah Taylor: Founded by Taylor, a high-school dropout with a background in auto repair and software, Valar Atomics aims to dominate the microreactor nuclear energy sector by producing small-scale nuclear reactors Taylor envisions these compact units—capable of powering roughly 5,000 homes—as the energy equivalent of SpaceX, providing constant power for AI data centers and remote military bases.
Despite having no formal nuclear background, Taylor has successful rasised nearly $150 million from investors and carried out two high profile publicity campaigns for his firm.
Splitting Atoms: In late 2025, Valar claiemd to be the first venture-backed startup to split atoms using its own reactor. This was not a true criticality according to nuclear experts.
Legal Challenges: Taylor sued the NRC to loosen what he describes as “prohibitively restrictive” nuclear safety rules. Subsequently, the Department of Energy secretly significantly loosened its regulatory requirements for startup reactor projects like the Valor Atomics mircoreactor and 10 others racing to prove their plants can achieve a critical fission chain reaction by July 2026.
Safety and Expertise Concerns: Nuclear experts have raised significant red flags regarding Valar’s technical claims.
Lethal Radiation: While Taylor claimed Valar’s spent fuel was safe enough to hold by hand, nuclear engineer Nick Turan, Ph.D., calculated that the fuel would actually deliver a lethal dose of radiation within milliseconds of contact.
Inexperienced Leadership: Much of Valar’s top brass consists of Taylor’s associates, several of whom has no nuclear industry experience. Several like Taylor are linked to a Christian nationalist church in Idaho including a Head of Operations who previously caused a fuel explosion that set a colleague on fire.
Controversial Financial Ties: A significant portion of Valar’s funding—including a $130 million round—was co-led by Day One Ventures, headed by Masha Bucher. According to Mother Jones, Bucher is a former pro-Putin activist and has documented ties to the Kremlin. She also reportedly served as a publicist for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A pull quote on the Day One website highlights Bucher’s importance to firm.
Russian Connections: Mother Jones reports that Bucher’s former boss, Serguei Beloussov, was tracked by the U.S. government for allegedly attempting to export U.S. tech to Russia.
Epstein Communications: Mother Jones reports that files show Bucher asked Epstein to connect her with “adequate Russian oligarchs.”
Political Alignment: The Trump administration has supported Valar as part of a broader push for “American energy dominance.” Last fall, NPR reported the Department of Energy loosened safety and environmental regulations for nuclear facilities with government contracts—changes that were not made public at the time but which benefited microreactor companies like Valar Atomics. Taylor has lauded the administration, predicting it will usher in a “nuclear golden age.” He attended a high profile conference of energy-related investors, who gathered at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in January 2025.
On 02/26/25 NPR reported that the Department of Energy made the changes to these DOE rules public and posted them on the website of the DOE Idaho Operations Office, located in Idaho Falls, ID. This DOE field office is the federal management center for the agency’s contracts with the Idaho National Laboratory.
Leveraging Politics & Publicity in the Nation’s Capital
Among Friends in High Places Oklo Stands Tall
Valar isn’t the first microreactor firm to leverage political influence. Oklo’s CEO Jacob DeWitt, who provided advice to the Department of Energy in the writing of President Trumps four nuclear energy executive orders, attended the signing ceremony on the White House Oval Office with the President and DOE Secretary Chris Wright.
Oklo’s CEO Jacob De Witte has a talent for having friends in high places. Billionaire tech investor Sam Altman was an early investor in the firm. Until April 2025 he was the chairman of Oklo’s board and was instrumental in bringing the company public through a merger with his special purpose acquisition company, AltC Acquisition Corp., in May 2024.
Oklo said Altman’s departure in April 2025 allows it to form business deals with OpenAI and other AI firms as well as hyperscale data centers. Also, Chris Wright, now Secretary of the Department of Energy, was previously a member of the Oklo’s board. Oklo replaced Wright with Daniel Poneman, a former DOE official who was previously CEO of Centrus Energy.
Oklo CEO Jacob DeWitte joined DOE Secretary Wright on 05/23/25 in the Oval Office at the White House as President Trump announced four executive orders intended to promote the development of the nation’s nuclear energy industry.
Last Energy Stands Up a 20 Ton Model of a PWR in Downtown DC
As for publicity stunts designed to attract the attention of power figures in the nation’s captial, on April 2024 Last Energy plunked a full size mock up of its 20 MW PWR in front of the Washington DC convention center. In the annals of trade show events taking place in Washington, DC, most exhibitors show up with elaborate Powerpoint slide decks and the occasional video. Last Energy blew the doors off in terms of trade show and tell with its outside the conference center exhibit.
Taking a page out of the promotional legacy of P.T. Barum, who paraded a line of elephants down city streets to promote his circus, Last Energy brought a full-size mockup of its 20 MW PWR, complete with a huge crane to lift it into place outside the convention center.
On the afternoon of April 16, the module (referred to as the “nuclear island”) was hung vertically from a crane outside the Washington Convention Center.
Last Energy’s prototype, as displayed outside the data center conference, is non-functional, weighs 22 tons, and stands 12’x’12’x’48’.
The prototype represents part of the underground portion of Last Energy’s broader power plant (referred to as the “PWR-20”) where key nuclear components are located, such as the reactor, pressurizer, steam generator, and cooling pumps.
Bottom line, the lessons and tactics of P.T. Barnum Circus side shows are alive and well in 2026.
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