The 1337 second-long plasma record came just a few weeks after China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) set a previous world record by maintaining steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for 1066 seconds.

In the MoU, the signatories commit to pursuing the path to commercial fusion energy for Hesse and establishing the state as a leading location for cutting-edge research and the development of laser-based nuclear fusion.

The collaborations are part of a critical research thrust within the campus’ Fusion Engineering Institute which brings together students, faculty and external partners around fusion energy research and education.

The Sunbird concept is for the fusion-powered 'tugs' to be permanently based in space, able to dock on to spacecraft and propel them at high speed over vast distances. Pulsar Fusion says it foresees a compact nuclear fusion engine providing both thrust and electrical power for spacecraft, including as much as 2 MW of power on arrival at a destination.

The UK government has announced a £410m investment to advance the development of nuclear fusion energy and boost economic growth as part of its Plan for Change initiative.

The key factor in the success of an energy production process is the cost per unit of energy which can be expressed in $ per kilowatts or megawatts. Catalysed fusion based on known costs of components from existing supply chains promises to be the lowest cost of all commercially available energy sources.

Rosatom describes the TRT as “a tokamak with a long discharge pulse, a strong magnetic field and an electromagnetic system made of a high-temperature superconductor … the construction of the TRT is an important stage in the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion and the creation of a nuclear power reactor in Russia – an environmentally friendly source of energy with virtually inexhaustible fuel resources”.

ITER has paid tribute to Evgeny Velikhov (1935-2024), who died on 5th December aged 89, with the following “In Memoriam”:

FAST aims to generate and sustain a plasma of deuterium-tritium (D-T) reactions, demonstrating an integrated fusion energy system that combines energy conversion including electricity generation and fuel technologies.

Thales, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of plasma heating systems, is the only European manufacturer of Gyrotron electronic tubes at its Munich operation.