Fusion developers First Light has stated that it has solved a major engineering challenge in the design of its concept power plant by increasing the 'standoff' – the distance travelled by the projectile to the fusion target – by more than ten times.

Projectile fusion is a new approach to inertial fusion that is simpler, more energy efficient, and has lower physics risk. Inertial fusion is a pulsed process, where, like an internal combustion engine, a small amount of fuel is injected and sparked to make it burn. The main existing approach to inertial fusion uses a large laser as the ‘spark plug’, triggering the reaction.

The milestone at the facility in in Yarnton, means that a commercial fusion power plant is one step closer.

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