Half-ton magnet aces world-first 1.8 million°F fusion plasma confinement

New Zealand-based fusion startup OpenStar Technologies has achieved a significant milestone by successfully confining plasma heated to over 1,000,000 degrees Celsius using a 0.5-tonne superconducting magnet levitated inside a 5-meter vacuum chamber. Their $10 million prototype, named “Junior,” demonstrated the viability of their unique levitated dipole reactor architecture, which differs from conventional tokamak designs by placing a single superconducting magnet inside the plasma cloud. This internal magnet levitation eliminates mechanical supports that typically cause heat loss and plasma instability, thereby enhancing plasma stability and confinement—key factors for sustained nuclear fusion. The levitated dipole configuration mimics magnetic structures found around planets like Jupiter and offers potential advantages in creating more compact and cost-effective fusion reactors. While the current prototype does not yet produce net energy gain, the successful levitation and magnetic field generation mark critical progress toward scaling the technology for commercial fusion energy. OpenStar Technologies views this demonstration as a proof of concept that integrates magnetics,