Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation to lead $3 million government-backed project to advance manufacturing for nuclear micro-reactors
Press Release
The project marks a critical step toward fulfilling the promise of microreactor technology -- bringing clean, reliable and flexible power solutions out of the lab and into production.
WATERLOO, ON, April 20, 2026 /CNW/ - Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC) is proud to announce it has been selected as a project lead under NGen's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program (AMTP) to build manufacturing capacity for nuclear microreactors, expanding access to strategically deployable power. To support this work, the federal government is providing $1.2 million, representing 40% of the entire project cost. The remaining 60% will be contributed by CSMC and its project partners.
In collaboration with its partners, Samuel Automation and Stern Laboratories, the project will advance the development of a dedicated advanced manufacturing cell for in-factory production of CSMC's microreactor systems. This represents a pivotal step toward transforming microreactor technology from a prototype into a deployable product built for the world's most demanding environments. This marks CSMC's third project supported by NGen, reflecting the growing recognition of CSMC's role at the forefront of Canada's advanced manufacturing and next-generation energy sectors.
"Microreactors hold enormous promise for Canada's defence, sovereignty and energy needs, but that promise can only be realized if we can build them with the consistency and reliability that serial manufacturing enables," said Daniel Sax, CEO and Founder of CSMC. "The project announced today will help move us from the lab and into the factory, laying the foundation for a manufacturing process that can deliver the high-performance systems that Canada's defence community and remote energy users need, while driving down costs and expanding accessibility over time. Our team is thankful to NGen and to the Government of Canada for trust and confidence it has placed in us with the funding announced today."
Unlike large-scale nuclear projects that are constructed on-site and cost billions of dollars to build, microreactor technology can be manufactured in a controlled factory environment, enabling greater quality assurance, faster delivery timelines, lower costs and broader deployment. The project supported by today's funding is designed to build those capabilities and enhance Canada's sovereignty.
"Today's announcement demonstrates the strength of Canada's globally-recognized innovation ecosystem", said Jayson Myers, CEO, NGen. "By supporting these collaborations, NGen is helping Canadian companies scale faster, compete internationally, and build the high-value manufacturing ecosystem our economy needs in this critical moment."
Leveraging the expertise of Samuel Automation, the project will include the development and evaluation of advanced inspection technologies, including machine vision and leak detection systems, adapted to meet the exacting quality assurance standards required in high-intensity manufacturing environments. Stern Laboratories Inc., a leader in thermal hydraulic testing and verification for the nuclear industry, will contribute its expertise in developing in-factory thermal hydraulic testing platforms, enabling critical validation of reactor system performance during the manufacturing process itself.
"Canada has a generational opportunity to lead in microreactor technology," said Sax. "Projects like this one -- bringing together Canadian leaders in advanced manufacturing, inspection systems and nuclear testing -- are how we build the industrial foundation to seize it."
About Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC)
Founded in 2020, Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (formerly Canadian Space Mining Corporation) is a Canadian space and defence company developing mission-critical technologies at the intersection of energy, resources, and sovereignty. Through its subsidiaries - CSMC Nuclear and CSMC Labs - the company is advancing innovation in microreactor systems, energy resilience, and dual-use technologies to support Canada's strategic missions on Earth and beyond.
About NGen
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) is the industry-led, non-government not-for-profit organization leading Canada's Global Innovation Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing. NGen connects manufacturers, technology developers, researchers, developers and policymakers across Canada's advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Through initiatives such as the N³ Summit, the organization works to accelerate the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies and strengthen Canada's industrial competitiveness.
I wonder if these microreactors can be used in the new Arctic Mobile Base ship that Noah wrote about yesterday. If they can provide 50-100MW of power, I think that would be adequate.
While in think a nuclear AMB is a really cool idea, everything I've heard about the marine nuclear reactors says it won't be as easy as plugging a design intended for stationary use into a ship. If we manage to successfully scale up the manufacture of stationary microreactors, I can see a ton of what we learn from that transferring to making reactors for a ship, but it will be developed sequentially, not concurantly. Which means that it won't be ready to be installed in a ship, assuming it gets built for real, until long after I hope the AMBs are in the water and operating. As cool as it would be, we are going to need the capability the AMBs represent long before a reactor design will be ready to incorporate into a ship.