Provenance Record

Well-structured, neutral News piece (631 words, within the News 400-1200 range). Clear sectioning (Overview / What We Know / Completing the Trio / The Program / What We Don't Know). Correctly frames each criticality as an initial, zero-power event rather than full-power generation, and the 'What We Don't Know' section responsibly flags the unstated timeline to licensing, commercialization, and grid delivery.

All 5 source snapshots read from disk (gzip decompressed; sha256 of each decompressed file matches manifest). (1) source-0.html.gz energy.gov 'Meets President Trump's Goal, Delivers Third Advanced Reactor Criticality' [200] — CONFIRMS the DOE goal-met framing, Unity as third DOE-authorized reactor, May 2025 EO, July 1 announcement, and Wright quote; no EO number stated. (2) source-1.html.gz prnewswire.com Deployable Energy release [200] — CONFIRMS Unity criticality at NRIC/INL, third reactor, ~150 days since project kick-off, first criticality under DOE Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, '1 MWe water moderated, gas cooled' spec, July 1 dateline, Wagner quote ('Achieving criticality in roughly 150 days is a remarkable accomplishment') verbatim, and Wright quote verbatim; the Gallagher quote here reads 'demonstrates the dedication of our team AND PARTNERS and moves us COLLECTIVELY one step closer' — the article dropped 'and partners' and 'collectively'. (3) source-2.html.gz world-nuclear-news.org 'Criticality for third US reactor' [200] — CONFIRMS the 'the US has achieved the presidential goal set last year of three microreactors ... by 4 July 2026' quote verbatim, Unity 1 MWe water-moderated gas-cooled microreactor, Antares Mark-0 first in early June; also carries the full Gallagher quote confirming the omission in (2). (4) source-3.html.gz world-nuclear-news.org 'Valar Atomics achieves criticality' [200] — CONFIRMS Ward 250 as second, 5 MW, TRISO-fueled/helium-cooled/graphite-moderated, EO name and goal quote ('to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors ... by July 4, 2026') verbatim, EO signed by Trump in May [2025], and Taylor quote verbatim; publication dated 22 June 2026. (5) source-4.html.gz energy.gov 'Celebrates Second Advanced Reactor' [200] — CONFIRMS Ward 250 second, Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Emery County, 'first DOE authorized reactor built outside of a national laboratory', May 2025 EO, and Taylor quote.

Every specific traces to a cited snapshot: 1 MWe, 5 MW, ~150 days, TRISO/HTGR fuel-cooling-moderator combo, the June/July dates, the Launch Pad vs Reactor Pilot Program distinction, and the ordering (Antares first, Valar Ward 250 second, Deployable Unity third). No fabricated executive-order number — the article names the EO ('Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy') exactly as the source does and cites no number. The Ward 250 'June 22' date traces to the WNN piece's 22 June publication date (DOE's own release is dated June 18, an internal source discrepancy the article resolves by attributing to WNN). One quote issue: the Gallagher quote is rendered inside quotation marks but omits 'and partners' and 'collectively' without ellipsis; meaning is preserved but it is not verbatim — filed as a correction.

Substantively accurate, well-sourced, genuinely new follow-up. All checks pass and every material specific is verified against the on-disk snapshots. The single non-verbatim quote is minor, does not affect the headline/summary/lead, and is honestly summarizable in a corrections note — APPROVE_WITH_CORRECTIONS.