In the UK, for the first time, tritium was obtained inside a thermonuclear reactor — a step towards self-sufficient energy

Scientists from the private company Astral Systems and the University of Bristol have reported the first-ever successful production of tritium inside a working fusion reactor. The experiment, conducted in March, lasted 55 hours and became a crucial stage in the development of commercially viable thermonuclear energy. The results open up the prospect of creating self-sustaining power plants that can simultaneously produce both fuel and energy.

The key achievement was the real-time detection of tritium — a rare and strategically important isotope of hydrogen needed for thermonuclear fusion. Until now, tritium deficiency has remained one of the main problems hindering the development of the industry. Talmon Firestone, CEO of Astral Systems, called the results of the experiment "a breakthrough that eliminates the main limitation of thermonuclear energy."

The technology is based on the multi-step synthesis (MSF) method, which the company has been developing for more than two decades. It is based on the concept of lattice confinement (LCF), first introduced by NASA in 2020. Instead of the traditional use of high-temperature plasma, the system combines solid-state lattice reactions and plasma media, which significantly improves efficiency. Solid-state fuel density increases by a factor of 400 million, and electron shielding reduces the temperature threshold required to start fusion by millions of degrees.

According to Professor Tom Scott from the University of Bristol, who oversaw the study, the next step will be to optimize tritium yield and adapt the technology for large-scale production. The scientist also noted that MSF can be applied not only in the energy sector, but also for the creation of medical isotopes, processing of nuclear waste and solutions for space.

Astral Systems estimates that the developed system can be used in hybrid power plants, as well as in materials science and applied scientific experiments at a reaction rate of more than 10 trillion per second.

In the context of the global energy crisis and the growing need for clean energy sources, the success of the project is becoming not just a scientific milestone, but a potential turning point in the history of energy in the XXI century.