City Labs’ BOHR CubeSat Becomes First Commercial Nuclear-Powered Satellite in Orbit

A Florida‑based startup, City Labs, placed its BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High‑Reliability) CubeSat on SpaceX’s Transporter‑17 rideshare mission on 7 July 2026. The satellite carries the company’s NanoTritium betavoltaic power system, a tritium‑based micro‑battery that converts beta decay into continuous microwatt‑level electricity. BOHR is the first commercial spacecraft to receive FAA approval for a nuclear launch, completing a regulatory pathway established under National‑Security Presidential Memorandum‑20 and validated by Sandia National Laboratories.

The CubeSat uses solar panels for its primary bus, while the nuclear micro‑battery powers a dedicated experimental payload, demonstrating reliable power generation independent of sunlight. City Labs and its partners, including NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense, cite the technology’s potential to support long‑duration missions in permanently shadowed lunar regions, deep‑space probes, and autonomous sensor networks where solar power is insufficient. The launch marks a milestone for private‑sector space power, opening a new class of spacecraft capable of operating in environments previously limited to government‑run nuclear generators.