The nuclear-pumped laser (NPL) is a technology in which laser oscillation is accomplished using the energy of a nuclear reaction. We studied the possibility of developing a pulse reactor system for NPL using low-enriched uranium. It is possible to design a reactor system with 20% enriched uranium by making the pulse cores large, optimizing their position, and increasing their number. Such a system has uniform power distribution in the laser oscillation cells, which is desirable for laser pumping. The potential to solve the limit of energy efficiency and temperature in a nuclear reactor by NPL is also discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.