By Kit Norton

Oklo and other advanced nuclear technology stocks rallied on Tuesday after the White House released federal guidance for President Donald Trump's directive to place nuclear reactors in space and on the Moon in the coming years.

Trump signed the executive order in December 2025. Tuesday's guidance stipulates that various federal agencies will establish cost-effective partnerships with private-sector companies to deploy nuclear reactors in orbit "as early as 2028" and on the Moon by 2030.

The White House is also mandating that agencies enable private sector innovation with "multiple participants."

Shares of Oklo, which is focused on developing small modular reactors or SMRs, rose 7% to $57.74 on Tuesday. Fellow SMR-focused stocks NuScale Power and Nano Nuclear Energy jumped 9% and 10%, respectively.

BWX Technologies stock advanced 2.7% to $239.22. The company is already a top supplier of nuclear technology to the military and NASA.

Shares of Canada-based uranium refiner Cameco fell 1% while uranium miner Centrus Energy gained 0.8%. Cameco owns a 49% stake in nuclear reactor builder Westinghouse, giving it SMR exposure.

As part of the government's process, NASA and the Defense Department are directed to hold design competitions. The White House is calling on NASA, within 30 days, to initiate a program to develop nuclear reactors for propulsion systems and the lunar surface.

Within 60 days, the White House is directing the Energy Department to provide an assessment on the readiness of the U.S. nuclear reactor industrial base to produce "up to four space reactors within five years."

This will include reactor design, delivery of long lead-time components, and fuel allocation or production. The DOE is directed to give recommendations to address "any gaps" in the supply chain.

The DOE is also expected to provide uranium for reactor fuel where "commercial sources are insufficient or unavailable."

Write to Kit Norton at kit.norton@barrons.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 14, 2026 12:30 ET (16:30 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.