NNSA officials say the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is now fully operational. Since 1992, when President George H.W. Bush ordered a voluntary moratorium, the United States hasn't produced any new nuclear weapons or conducted any underground nuclear tests.

As a result, the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile is reaching an age when scientists originally projected the weapons would expire. With the DARHT facility now operational, officials will be able to assess and certify the weapons stockpile without underground nuclear testing, the NNSA reported.

"DARHT is an incredible scientific and engineering achievement and is extremely important to certifying the nuclear weapons stockpile," Robert Smolen, NNSA deputy administrator for defense programs, said in a statement.

"U.S. nuclear weapons are 20 to 30 years old, and this high-tech machine allows us to look at how changes made to fix age-related and technical defects may affect weapon performance -- all without conducting an underground nuclear test."