Polaris

Harnessing electricity from fusion

Polaris is the next big step in commercial fusion development. This machine will have stronger magnets and will pulse up to 100x faster than Trenta, enabling us to achieve improved fusion conditions. If successful, Polaris will be the first fusion machine to demonstrate electricity production from fusion.

Polaris design specifications

Total length

19 m

Fuel

D-D, D-T, D-He-3

Repetition rate

0.1 Hz+

Bank energy

50 MJ+

Peak field

15 T+

Inductive energy recovery

Yes

Gas filtering

Yes

Total diagnostics

3,800

Direct electricity recapture

Polaris will recover all unused and new electromagnetic energy efficiently. Leveraging the same principles used in braking in an electric vehicle, fusion reactions in Polaris will initiate a flow of newly generated electricity. No steam cycle is required, making it the most efficient way to generate fusion electricity.

In-house
manufacturing

Helion is developing key components for Polaris and subsequent machines in its Antares facility. These include quartz tubes and high-voltage capacitors. By bringing manufacturing in-house, we are accelerating the timeline to commercial fusion.

Optimizing fuel injection technology

Alongside Polaris' development, Helion is experimenting with a test formation section to optimize FRC plasmas. The Polaris Formation Section test will inform inputs for Polaris operations to create more energetic plasmas, resulting in increased fusion output.

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Building Vela, the Polaris pulsed power test (2023)

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Polaris Formation Section test nearing full assembly (2023)

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Ursa, the facility that will house Polaris (2022)

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Inside Ursa, where the construction on Polaris has begun (2023)