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General Fusion fires up its newest steampunk fusion reactor
The reactor, called Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), is General Fusion’s latest iteration in a string of devices that have tested various parts of its unique approach.
Over that time, it has seen competitors rise and fall, and, like the fusion industry writ large, it has failed to meet breakeven promises, including one made over 20 years ago. General Fusion says that’s because the pistons compressing the liquid liner weren’t controlled precisely enough, and that modern computers now provide a better chance at executing the complex choreography. Flipping the switch on LM26 is nonetheless a significant step for a company that is now racing to deliver a power plant alongside a host of newcomers with their own deep pocketbooks and aggressive timelines.
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