PARSONS, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 10, 2026--
Deep Fission, Inc. (“Deep Fission” or the “Company”), an advanced nuclear energy company developing small modular pressurized water reactors installed one mile underground, today announced it has begun drilling its first data acquisition well in Parsons, Kansas.
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The well will be drilled to a depth of approximately 6,000 feet and will have a diameter of roughly eight inches. It is the first of three planned wells and represents the initial phase of site characterization and engineering validation.
Deep Fission has also completed construction of the drilling pad at the Parsons site, preparing the location for safe and efficient drilling operations. Pad completion marks another key infrastructure milestone as the Company advances from planning and engineering into active field development.
“Drilling our first borehole is a major step forward for Deep Fission,” said Liz Muller, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Fission. “It represents the shift from concept to construction and begins the process of demonstrating a fundamentally new approach to nuclear energy deployment.”
The data acquisition well will enable the Company to gather critical geological, hydrological, and thermal data to inform final engineering design, safety analysis, and regulatory planning. The drilling campaign and subsequent testing program will support a series of technical evaluations aimed at accelerating the Company’s pathway to commercial deployment.
Deep Fission’s proprietary approach integrates proven pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology with advanced drilling methods developed in the oil and gas industry and geothermal heat-transfer techniques. Each Gravity Reactor is designed to be installed deep underground in a sealed borehole, leveraging stable bedrock for natural shielding and containment.
The three-well drilling program is expected to provide the subsurface data necessary to advance reactor demonstration and future commercialization efforts.
Deep Fission is participating in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program. Authorized under Executive Order 14301, the Program marks a historic shift in federal policy, enabling reactor testing and deployment on sites outside of national laboratories. This initiative is a cornerstone of the DOE’s commitment to reform and streamline processes that will unlock innovation and speed up the development of next-generation nuclear technologies.
About Deep Fission
Deep Fission is revolutionizing the energy landscape with innovative technology that places a small modular pressurized water reactor in a borehole one mile underground. Founded and led by a team of seasoned scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, the company is committed to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable low-carbon power at scale. Deep Fission was selected for the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program and is building its first reactor in Parsons Kansas. Deep Fission was founded in 2023 by father-daughter team Liz and Rich Muller. Learn more at deepfission.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws, including, among other things, statements regarding Deep Fission’s development plans, anticipated project timelines, potential commercial opportunities, collaboration activities, and other future matters. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Important factors that may affect actual results are described under “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Deep Fission’s registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (as amended or supplemented), and in other filings Deep Fission makes with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Deep Fission undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
The drill rig at the Deep Fission site in Parsons, Kansas.
Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel and Gulf states Tuesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed his country will keep striking the Islamic Republic, saying the aim of the campaign was the popular overthrow of its government.
“Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny, ultimately it depends on them,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israel’s hospital and health system leaders. “But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones."
U.S. President Donald Trump sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, fueling uncertainty that is causing markets to swing.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion Tehran sought a ceasefire in the war and would keep fighting.
Trump late Monday told Republican lawmakers that the war was likely to be a “short excursion,” but hours later threatened in a social media post that the U.S. would dramatically increase attacks if Iran tried to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Here is the latest:
A spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened to not allow “a single liter of oil” to leave the Persian Gulf.
Ali Mohamad Naeini has made the comment in a statement.
He says Iran “will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.”
“Their attempts to reduce and control oil and gas prices will be temporary and ineffective,” he said. “Trade in wartime conditions is subject to security considerations.”
A ship likely came under attack in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates’ capital, a center run by the British military says.
The possible attack on the bulk carrier would expand the radius of ongoing assaults against shipping by Iran during the war.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the incident, saying a captain aboard the vessel reported seeing “a splash and heard a loud bang in close proximity of a bulk carrier.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia remains ready to help broker an end to the war in the Middle East.
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump, Peskov said that Russia’s mediation offers “are still on the table.”
He told reporters that “Russia is ready to provide assistance to the best of its ability and will be happy to do so.”
Israel’s military says it has launched new airstrikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in the city as the Israelis began their airstrikes.
The Persian Gulf country was attacked with three missiles and a drone as Iran keeps up its strikes in the Middle East, authorities said.
One strike hit a residential building in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others, the Interior Ministry said.
Iran has repeatedly hit Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet.
The group of industrial nations on Monday held off releasing oil stocks to bring down prices but are picking up the issue again with more discussions between their energy ministers on Tuesday, according to France.
France, which currently holds the G7’s rotating presidency, wants “to advance on that question, with one objective, which is to bring down prices,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster France Televisions.
“France is working on that for a very simple reason: If you put volume back into the market, you can have an impact on the lowering of prices,” Bregeon said.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the G7 ministers will meet Tuesday afternoon by video call.
“It’s a process, we are working on it,” Lescure said. “All options are on the table.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says there is no need now to send his country’s warships or other military hardware to Cyprus or the eastern Mediterranean.
An Iranian Shahed drone struck a British air base on Cyprus’ southern coast last week.
Wadephul lauded Greece, France and Italy for dispatching warships to the region as a “pragmatic step,” adding that Germany would augment a European force presence if needed.
Following talks with his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, Wadephul said he doesn’t have intelligence indicating “a real current threat” to Cyprus or another European country from the Iran war.
But he added “you can never predict what will happen the next day” with groups like Hezbollah.
Saudi oil company Aramco says it will reach capacity of its East-West pipeline “in a couple of days” to get its product out to the global market.
Amin Nasser, Aramco’s CEO and president, said the East-West pipeline has a daily capacity of 7 million barrels.
“We should be reaching capacity, in a couple of days. It’s all been going on the repositioning of tankers from the East to West,” Nasser said. “You know, this crisis happened all of a sudden, and tankers need to reposition to the West coast for loading.”
He added: “The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil from the whole region.”
The East-West pipeline sends oil to the Red Sea for transport. Saudi Aramco operates the pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, avoiding the chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz.
Amin Nasser, the president and CEO of Aramco, said the firm remained “focused on safety and meeting our commitments.”
“That situation continues to evolve, and the safety of our people and our operations remain our highest priorities,” Nasser said.
He did not immediately elaborate on any effects from the war on the company’s output.
Nasser hinted at global oil markets being squeezed the longer the Iran war goes on and shipments from the Mideast being affected.
“Given the current geopolitical situation, we may see inventories eroding and being drawn down faster as shipments are being curtailed from the region,” he said. “This is at a time when current global spare capacity remains extremely low.”
That likely could push the price per barrel globally even higher, translating to higher costs for gasoline and jet fuel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday that Israel will continue striking Iran.
“Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny, ultimately it depends on them,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israel’s hospital and health system leaders.
“But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones,” he said.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told government agencies and state companies to begin having staff not in public facing roles to work from home.
The government said Tuesday that Thailand was also suspending overseas training and study trips.
The announcement comes as countries in Southeast Asia move to counter disruptions to oil and gas supplies from the war in the Middle East.
The Vietnamese government ordered similar measures, but also urged people to limit private use of their vehicles.
Fuel prices have climbed and long lines have formed outside filling stations as drivers and motorcycle riders rush to ensure they can fill their tanks.
Iran’s parliament speaker on Tuesday dismissed any suggestion Tehran sought a ceasefire in the war.
“We are definitely not looking for a ceasefire; we believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X.
“The Zionist regime sees its shameful existence in the continuation of the cycle of ‘war-negotiation-ceasefire and then war again’ to consolidate its dominance. We will break this cycle,” he wrote.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it killed three Palestinians in Gaza late Monday.
The Palestinians approached Israeli troops near the temporary line that Israel withdrew to at the start of the October 2025 ceasefire. The Yellow Line marks the Israel-controlled area in eastern Gaza.
Since the start of the ceasefire, at least 80 Palestinians have been killed near the Yellow Line after the Israeli military accused them of approaching and endangering soldiers.
Israel’s military said it detected an Iranian missile launch targeting the country Tuesday morning.
Sirens were heard in Jerusalem and explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s military worked to intercept the fire.
India’s oil ministry has set up a committee to review supplies of commercial cooking gas as the hospitality sector experiences a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.
India relies heavily on oil and gas shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has attacked several ships in the strait and threatened any ships that try to pass through, effectively closing it.
Industry groups in India say restaurants in some major cities including Mumbai and Bengaluru are struggling to secure cooking gas cylinders. They warn some eateries could shut within days if supplies are not restored.
Indian authorities have prioritized LPG supplies for household use, tightening availability for commercial users such as hotels and restaurants.
Azerbaijan has sent humanitarian aid to Iran, Azerbaijani officials said Monday.
The aid includes 10 tons of flour, six tons of rice, more than two tons of sugar, over four tons of water, about 600 kilograms of tea and about two tons of medicines and medical supplies, according to officials.
The move comes after tensions spiked between Baku and Tehran last week when Azerbaijan accused Iran of firing drones at its Nakhchivan exclave, an allegation Tehran denies.
Azerbaijan also has increased military and economic ties with Israel.
Iran’s judiciary is warning its local media about what and how it reports as the war with Israel and the United States goes on.
That was a comment made by judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
It said Jahangir said local outlets “that did not comply with security issues and had taken videos and photos of certain places solely for the purpose of informing were given the necessary warnings.”
“If this happens again, the necessary legal measures will be taken,” he said, without elaborating.
Iran has shut off the internet during the war and may be restricting reporting to hide what has been struck so far.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday the Patriot missile defense system is being deployed in Malatya province, which hosts a NATO radar base.
The move follows NATO defenses intercepting a second ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace Monday.
The Israeli military on Tuesday reiterated the call for all residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes as it planned to “operate forcefully” in the southern area against Hezbollah.
Israel issued similar warnings during its war with Hezbollah in 2003-2024, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
The Iraqi military has condemned an attack early Tuesday on a camp for an umbrella of Iranian-backed groups in northern Iraq.
The airstrike on 40th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the city of Kirkuk killed five and wounded four, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
The military described the strikes as “a blatant targeting of Iraq.”
Iraq for years has had to walk a tightrope between the U.S. and Iranian-allied Shiite groups, including some that are part of the government.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it had completed a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan.
Israel says Hezbollah uses al-Qard al-Hasan to finance its military activities.
Israel targeted several of the group’s branches in southern and eastern Lebanon last week.
Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco reported 2025 profits of $104 billion, down from the year before as the Iran war has seen its fields and facilities targeted.
Aramco released its annual results Tuesday. It planned to brief investors later in the day as the war that began Feb. 28 has seen Iranian drones and missiles target its facilities.
Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., reported profits of $110 billion in 2024.
Aramco said its 2025 revenues were $445 billion, down from $480 billion in 2024.
The United Arab Emirates will lower the volume of missile alerts sent to mobile phones in the overnight hours.
The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority made the announcement late Monday night, saying that the loud blaring alarm would sound on phones from 9 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.
A standard text message chime would sound from 10:30 p.m. until 9 a.m., it said.
Egypt hiked fuel prices by up to 17% on Tuesday as the war in the Middle East sent prices of oil soaring.
According to the Petroleum Ministry the cost of a liter of diesel, which is heavily relied on for public transport, increased by more than 17%. The price of the 92-octane gasoline rose by 15% and 95-octane gasoline increased by 14%.
Flames rise from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israel military campaign, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iraqis hold a portrait of the new successor to Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
A coffin is carried during the funeral of mostly children killed in a strike Feb. 28 at a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP)
This image taken from video provided by Iran state TV shows Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's slain supreme leader, who has been named as the Islamic Republic's next ruler, authorities announced Monday, March 9, 2026. (Iran state TV via AP)
