South Korea · Magnetic confinement (superconducting tokamak)
Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research
Operated by Korea Institute of Fusion Energy · First operation 2008
Status: Operational
A superconducting tokamak that sustained 100 million K plasma for 48 seconds — a world record for ion temperature endurance.
KSTAR pioneered the use of Niobium-Tin superconducting magnets at the scale needed for steady-state tokamak operation. It is a critical testbed for ITER plasma control and disruption mitigation.
Key specifications
- Major radius
- 1.8 m
- Magnetic field
- 3.5 T
- Plasma current
- 2 MA
Milestones
2008
First plasma
Mar 2024
48 s at 100 million K — world record