Even as a layman in these things, I know that a nuclear reactor is far, far from a nuclear bomb and isn't easily made one. You can't 'configure' a reactor to become a bomb.

A better way would just be shielding, make sure it stays in 1 piece through reentry and impact. And still doesn't leak radiation then.

Can’t we just send up the propulsion system and the fuel separately? So like, ya, either could fail, but one is just some fancy equipment being g destroyed and the other is…unert uranium or plutonium coming down, needing to be cleaned up but not in a particular dangerous mode. Then once in orbit and the risk of crashing into earth is much less, put them together, fire up the reactor and go?

I suspect that the fuel separate from the reactor is still a major risk.

It can’t be configured that way. That’s simply not how reactors or bombs work.