Small New Zealand Firm Enters the Competition to Achieve Flawless Nuclear Fusion

Ratu Mataira established OpenStar in his Mt Victoria flat in Wellington only three years ago. In February of this year, the company formalized a collaboration agreement with MIT as part of its efforts to construct a functional nuclear fusion reactor.

Unlike fission, nuclear fusion aims to replicate the reaction that powers the sun and other stars by combining two atoms to release vast amounts of energy. Due to its potential to provide unlimited energy without contributing to global warming through carbon pollution, fusion is considered the ultimate solution for energy needs.

However, the main challenge lies in sustaining the reaction for more than a few seconds, a feat that has not yet been accomplished by anyone. “One of the reasons it’s safe is related to the reason it’s so difficult,” explained Mr. Mataira.

While OpenStar is still in the process of assembling and testing the components of their reactor, scientists in South Korea recently set a new world record by sustaining temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius—seven times hotter than the sun’s core—during a nuclear fusion experiment for 48 seconds.

The major obstacle to using fusion as a commercial energy source is that reaching such high temperatures typically requires more energy than the reactor can output. Nonetheless, progress is being made in overcoming this challenge.