Under Pressure: Record plasma for UK flagship machine
UKAEA has completed its fifth series of experiments on its MAST Upgrade fusion machine, overcoming plasma instability issues and pioneering novel techniques.
- MAST Upgrade’s fifth series of experiments overcome plasma instability issues – essential prerequisites for the building of commercial fusion energy power plants.
- The team pioneered a novel technique using measurements of light to detect and control tiny plasma imbalances.
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has completed its most ambitious series of experiments to date on its flagship fusion machine.
The machine achieved the highest plasma pressure while overcoming control problems. These are essential prerequisites for commercial fusion power.
The fifth series of experiments conducted on the MAST Upgrade machine, at UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, ran through 2025 and 2026 and produced more than 1,100 fusion plasmas.