Tyler Bernstein serves as the CEO and co-founder of Zeno Power, where he works on nuclear-battery technology to power NASA’s return to the lunar surface and other exploration environments where solar panels won’t work and diesel cannot reach, as reported by Payload and FinancialContent.
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Bernstein co-founded Zeno Power in 2018, took a leave of absence from Vanderbilt University to run the company full-time, and earned a spot in the Thiel Fellowship, according to Payload.
Where Tyler Bernstein Is Now
Tyler Bernstein is currently the CEO and co-founder of Zeno Power, leading the company’s work on radioisotope and nuclear-battery technologies for lunar and extreme-environment applications, as reported by Payload and FinancialContent.
- Current role: CEO and co-founder (Payload, FinancialContent)
- Organization: Zeno Power (Payload)
- Known for: Developing nuclear batteries to power NASA’s return to the lunar surface and places where solar panels fail and diesel cannot reach (Payload)
- Recent activity: Demonstrating radioisotope technology on Firefly’s Blue Ghost mission (FinancialContent)
Early Interests and Education
Growing up, Tyler Bernstein’s favorite NASA missions all operated on nuclear batteries, according to Payload. He developed an interest in building while taking a computer-science class in high school.
Bernstein attended Vanderbilt University, as noted by Payload. During his sophomore year of college, Bernstein and a friend wrote a paper on operating a Boeing 777 using nuclear power.
Founding Zeno Power
Tyler Bernstein and his co-founders launched Zeno Power in 2018, as reported by Payload. Bernstein took a leave of absence from Vanderbilt University to run Zeno Power full-time, and he earned a spot in the Thiel Fellowship.
Bernstein stated that curiosity and grit drove initial discussions with external leaders as passion for the project grew, according to Payload.
Lunar Missions and Industry Perspective
Zeno Power is demonstrating radioisotope capability on Firefly’s Blue Ghost mission in response to needs identified by NASA’s Moon Base Program, Bernstein stated in reporting by FinancialContent. Bernstein noted that hardware capable of enduring the lunar night’s extreme cold is vital for sustained Moon operations.
Bernstein also stated that building nuclear batteries one unit at a time is no longer viable now that NASA has announced a permanent Moon Base, as reported by Payload. He indicated that Zeno Power is establishing production capacity to support future commercial and government missions as demand for lunar infrastructure increases, per FinancialContent.
Bernstein stated that the government and financial community have completed their parts and industry must now execute, expressing concern that opportunities could disappear if the space industry fails to deliver on its commitments, according to Payload.