Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Los Alamos National Laboratory's Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) offers a unique and integrated set of scientific capabilities, including dynamic proton radiography, materials science, neutron scattering, and experimental nuclear physics. These resources are unique within the United States and are vital for supporting weapons component qualification, advanced manufacturing of both modern and legacy components, nuclear data generation for simulation and modeling, and radiochemistry research related to nuclear weapons science and threat assessment.
The LANSCE modernization project has reached the Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) milestone, just 18 months after receiving Critical Decision 0 (CD-0), marking significant progress for a project of this scale and complexity. Deputy Laboratory Director for Weapons Charlie Nakhleh noted that achieving CD-1 is a major accomplishment and provides a clear path forward for the project's future.
This milestone ensures LANSCE will continue to provide world-class accelerator capabilities essential to national security missions, maintaining its critical support for weapons science and security assessments.