• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Paolo Venneri

Ultra Safe Nuclear

Executive VP of Advanced Technologies

Dr. Paolo Venneri is the Executive VP of Advanced Techology for Ultra Safe Nuclear, where he is responsible for setting tehcnology direction, managing multiple projects, and building new business and growth opportunities. He has overseen multiple successful NASA an d DoD funded projects related to developing fuel and reactor designs for nuclear thermal propulsion, nuclear electric propulsion, surface fission power, and radio-isotop power systems. Dr. Venneri has been actively researching the development of thermal spectrum LEU-NTP systems. He was the first proponent of the LEU-NTP system and has been involved from the beginning in the development of the LEU graphite composite, tungsten CERMET, and various advanced NTP systems. In addition to his own graduate studies, he worked at the Center for Space Nuclear Research as one of the original and primary developers of the Space Propulsion Optimization Code, working on the development of the neutronics interface and the development of the Tungsten CERMET LEU-NTP system. He has written and presented over 27 publications on LEU-NTP systems including four journal papers. 

Sessions With Paolo Venneri

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 05:00pm - 05:30pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 10:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 10:30 pm

    To the Moon: Hydrogen and Nuclear as Space Propulsion
    Hydrogen

    Hydrogen is the most used fuel in chemical rocket engines, particularly in combination with oxygen as an oxidizer, known as liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen (LH2/LOX). Nuclear propulsion can be more efficient and electric propulsion can run for more precise maneuvers, but hydrogen still offers versatility and high performance.