KSTAR

KSTAR is South Korea's superconducting research tokamak run by the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE). After a tungsten divertor upgrade it held 100 million °C ions for 48 seconds and H-mode for 102 seconds in its 2023-24 campaign; its goal is 300 seconds of 100 million °C operation.

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Current state

Notes

No 2025-26 campaign results with new records were found; the 300-second target (originally by 2026) is unconfirmed.

Timeline

• 2023 — KSTAR completed installation of a tungsten divertor, doubling its heat-flux limit to ~10 MW/m². (source)
• 2024-02 — KSTAR sustained 100 million °C ion temperatures for 48 seconds and H-mode for 102 seconds in its Dec 2023-Feb 2024 campaign. (source)
• 2025 — KFE presented long-pulse results at the IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, restating the 300-second mission. (source)

The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.

Related projects

• ARC (Commonwealth Fusion Systems) Design · United States
• BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak) Under construction · China
• CFEDR / China Fusion Energy Co. demo reactor (successor to CFETR) Design · China
• EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) Operating · China
• EU DEMO (EUROfusion Demonstration Power Plant) Concept · European Union
• FAST (Fusion by Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) Design · Japan
• HH170 (Energy Singularity) Design · China
• HH70 (Energy Singularity) Operating · China

See all 51 projects in the Fusion Energy Companies & Projects Tracker →

Sources

1. Scientists set a new fusion world record — The Brighter Side of News, checked 2026-10-11
2. KSTAR has successfully achieved its First Plasma Target — NFRI via PPPL (primary), checked 2026-10-11
3. IAEA FEC 2025 synopsis: KSTAR long pulse — IAEA / KFE (primary), checked 2026-10-11