Zeno Power says it has gained access to radioactive material destined for its first full-scale radioisotope power systems under the terms of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Zeno Power has designed, built and tested the first-ever commercially developed radioisotope heat source, with help from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The milestone means Zeno Power is on track to begin delivering radioisotope power systems, or RPSs, to customers in 2025.

Zeno Power says it’s been awarded a $7.5 million contract from the Department of Defense to build and demonstrate a radioisotope power system that can provide distributed power on the seabed.

Zeno Power says it has successfully completed its first demonstration of a new type of radioisotope heat source that could be used to generate off-grid power in settings ranging from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the moon.