Wellington, NZ — June 22, 2026 — New Zealand's OpenStar Technologies has published the first viable design for a commercial fusion power plant based on a levitated dipole configuration. The peer-reviewed blueprint for the deuterium-tritium (DT) reactor, named "Tama Nui," marks a significant milestone by presenting a credible engineering pathway for a magnetic confinement concept previously limited to smaller-scale physics experiments. This development introduces a novel contender in the global race to achieve commercial fusion energy, challenging the dominance of tokamak and stellarator designs.

The levitated dipole concept confines superheated plasma using a powerful, free-floating superconducting magnet inside the reaction chamber, creating a magnetic field akin to a planet's magnetosphere. This approach is prized for its inherent plasma stability, which can theoretically simplify reactor construction and operation by avoiding certain plasma instabilities that plague other designs. OpenStar's publication details how this intrinsic stability can be leveraged to manage the extreme environment of a burning DT plasma, where temperatures exceed 150 million degrees Celsius.

The "Tama Nui" design outlines a compact, 500 MWe net-electric power plant operating with a fusion gain, or Q, of approximately 25.

The "Tama Nui" design outlines a compact, 500 MWe net-electric power plant operating with a fusion gain, or Q, of approximately 25. Central to the design is a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) dipole coil, generating a field of over 15 T, which is levitated and stabilized by external control coils. The design also incorporates a novel liquid lithium-lead blanket system for efficient tritium breeding and heat extraction, a critical component for any self-sustaining DT fuel cycle.

Led by CEO Dr. Ratu Mataira, OpenStar has progressed from its initial proof-of-concept devices to this comprehensive power plant model. The company's work builds upon foundational research from experiments like the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) at MIT, but is the first to integrate the necessary systems for a DT fuel cycle and net power generation. This publication represents a crucial step in attracting the significant capital required for the next phase of development.

Despite the design's promise, OpenStar faces substantial engineering and regulatory hurdles. Maintaining the stability and precise position of the massive, levitating HTS coil under the intense neutron bombardment from DT reactions is a primary challenge that requires further validation. Furthermore, the materials science for components facing the high-energy plasma must be proven to withstand long-term commercial operation, a challenge shared across all fusion approaches.

The publication of the "Tama Nui" blueprint is intended to catalyze a Series B funding round later this year, aimed at financing the construction of a sub-scale integrated prototype. This next-generation device, tentatively named "Tama Roto," will be designed to test the levitation control systems and plasma-facing components in a fully integrated environment. OpenStar projects a final investment decision on the prototype by mid-2027, with the goal of beginning construction before the end of the decade.