Image Credits: Wikipedia The U.S. Navy has awarded a $418.5 million contract to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services to dismantle and recycle USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, after years of planning and legal challenges. The retired carrier will be dismantled in Mobile, Alabama, where recyclable materials will be recovered and hazardous waste, including low-level radioactive material, will be safely packaged and transported to licensed disposal facilities. The Navy expects the work to be completed by September 2030. The project is the first commercial dismantling of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and is expected to guide the Navy as more nuclear-powered carriers, including the Nimitz-class fleet, reach retirement. NorthStar won the contract after the Navy reopened the bidding process following a legal challenge by HII ShipCycle. The company argued that a technical problem with the federal procurement system prevented it from submitting its final proposal before the deadline. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims agreed the Navy should review the competition, after which NorthStar was selected again. The new contract is worth $418,497,668, about $118 million less than the earlier $536.7 million contract awarded to NorthStar in 2025. It is also well below a previous Government Accountability Office estimate that dismantling and disposing of USS Enterprise could cost the Navy more than $1 billion. The Navy awarded the project as a firm-fixed-price contract, meaning NorthStar will be responsible for any cost overruns. About $415.5 million from the Navy’s fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance budget was committed when the contract was signed. Commissioned in 1961, USS Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Unlike later U.S. nuclear-powered carriers, it was powered by eight nuclear reactors, allowing it to operate for long periods without refuelling. During more than 50 yea