Fusion startup Helion hits blistering temps as it races toward 2028 deadline | TechCrunch

"The Everett, Washington-based fusion energy startup Helion announced Friday that it has hit a key milestone in its quest for fusion power. Plasmas inside the company's Polaris prototype reactor have reached 150 million degrees Celsius, three-quarters of the way toward what the company thinks it will need to operate a commercial fusion power plant. "We're obviously really excited to be able to get to this place," David Kirtley, Helion's co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch."

"Polaris is also operating using deuterium-tritium fuel - a mixture of two hydrogen isotopes - which Kirtley said makes Helion the first fusion company to do so. "We were able to see the fusion power output increase dramatically as expected in the form of heat," he said. The startup is locked in a race with several other companies that are seeking to commercialize fusion power, potentially unlimited source of clean energy."

Helion's Polaris prototype reactor achieved plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius, about three-quarters of the temperature Helion projects for commercial operation. Polaris operated using deuterium-tritium fuel, a mixture of hydrogen isotopes, which Helion says makes it the first fusion company to do so. Operators observed a dramatic expected increase in fusion power output manifesting as heat. The fusion sector is attracting large investor rounds across several startups, and Helion previously raised $425 million from major backers. Helion holds a contract to sell electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028 from a larger Orion reactor now under construction.

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