On Oct. 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) verified completion of the First Production Unit (FPU) of a plutonium pit for the W87-1 Modification Program.
“I am proud of the important role our laboratory played in leading this critical mission for our nation’s security,” said Thom Mason, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. “I want to recognize the tireless dedication of our workforce over the last several years. Along with our partners at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Kansas City National Security Campus, and the National Nuclear Security Administration, we have brought to bear our laboratories’ scientists and engineers, our manufacturing experts, and our weapons, safety and operations workforce to ensure the pits met rigorous design requirements. This mission is an example of ‘big science’ at work, an effort Oppenheimer established when Los Alamos was first founded more than 80 years ago and a legacy that our nation’s laboratories and plants continue today.”
Get more information — including resources, contacts and more — about the pit production mission at Los Alamos National Laboratory.