New Zealand company reviving the levitated dipole concept with high-temperature superconductors — targeting D-D and p-11B fuels without a breeding blanket.
OpenStar Technologies is a fusion energy startup spun out of the Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Founded in 2021 by CEO Ratu Mataira (PhD, Robinson Research Institute), the company is developing levitated dipole reactors using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to confine plasma for deuterium-deuterium and ultimately proton-boron-11 fusion.[1]
A levitated dipole reactor confines plasma using the magnetic field of a single superconducting ring that floats freely inside a vacuum chamber, supported against gravity by an external levitation coil. The plasma self-organizes around the dipole field in a configuration that is inherently MHD-stable and supports high plasma pressure (high beta) without disruptions. This is fundamentally different from tokamaks and stellarators, which require complex interlocking coil sets and face pressure-driven instability limits.[2]
The concept draws on planetary magnetosphere physics and was originally demonstrated by MIT's Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) and Columbia University's CTX device in the 2000s. OpenStar is the first company to pursue the concept commercially.[2]
OpenStar's development follows a staged prototype sequence:
Junior — the company's first levitated dipole machine, which achieved first plasma in 2024 and successfully demonstrated levitation of a half-tonne HTS magnet inside a 5-meter vacuum chamber with plasma heated above one million degrees Celsius in February 2026.[1]
Tahi — a second-generation device targeting operation within approximately two years of the Junior milestones.
Maui — a third-generation prototype planned within five years.
Tama Nui — a power-producing reactor targeting 50–200 MW of electricity.[3]
The levitated dipole's high-beta confinement and absence of magnetic-field-line losses make it theoretically suitable for advanced fuel cycles. OpenStar's near-term work uses deuterium-deuterium fuel (avoiding tritium breeding requirements), with a long-term aspiration toward proton-boron-11, which would produce virtually no neutrons.[2]