The Lancaster University Nuclear Operations Simulator (LUNOS) is a cutting-edge facility offering a ‘high-fidelity’ deeply immersive learning experience for students, researchers, and industrial partners.

Funded through a £2 million grant from the Office for Students, LUNOS was built to support teaching across a range of disciplines targeted to address nationally critical skills gaps. Its creation is aligned to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and National Nuclear Strategic Plans for skills by supporting teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate Lancaster University programmes. As the only facility of its kind in the UK, LUNOS positions Lancaster as a leading power and educator in the field of nuclear cyber security, allowing staff, students, and partners to access training facilities not available elsewhere in the country.

The LUNOS facility consists of two rooms: the viewing gallery/control room for briefings, monitoring and AV system control and the main control room simulation space. It includes a highly reconfigurable design and software for different reactor types, including Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs), Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and Tokamak fusion reactors, with software codes developed by GSE Solutions, Westinghouse, Norway's Institute for Energy Technology, and Tokamak Energy, allowing for the simulation of a wide variety of scenarios.