Project Omega, in collaboration with Morgan State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and other partners, is developing a radioisotope-powered battery prototype within DARPA's "Rads to Watts" program. The primary goal is to produce a minimally viable prototype by early 2027 at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

A $3.37 million contract award funds the development of a proof-of-concept device. This device is designed to produce more than 10 watts per kilogram with a yearslong shelf life. Project Omega will construct the nuclear power generator, which is based on a radioisotope recovered from nuclear waste.

Morgan State University serves as the prime contractor for the program and handles basic research. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is responsible for nuclear materials handling and testing. "At a high level, we take nuclear waste, we recycle it into two products: one is fuel for reactors; the other are power isotopes, so isotopes you can use to power things," said Stafford Sheehan, CEO and founder of Project Omega. "Solar cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. Ours directly convert radiation into electricity."

Project Omega's power cells consist of a solid-state chunk of isotope layered with a semiconductor to generate power. Widetronix is designing this semiconductor power converter. Northrop Grumman and ARA both contribute computational modeling to ensure the prototype meets performance standards.

The program will focus over the next 18 months on reducing technical risk, testing system performance under realistic conditions, and generating data to inform future development. Key challenges for the program include improving energy conversion efficiency, validating long-term reliability, managing radiation effects, and ensuring safe and secure handling and deployment. Sheehan said, "We're just taking the systems that we use for space and we're using a different isotope," specifically Strontium-90, which is described as less hazardous than the Plutonium-238 isotopes used in similar systems.