Zephyr Fusion

Zephyr Fusion is developing an in-orbit, megawatt-class fusion power source to facilitate large-scale industrial activities in space. The company was founded by Dr. Galen Burke and Dr. Edward Hinson, who serve as co-founders. Both founders have PhDs in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and accumulated over 35 years of combined experience in experimental fusion research at institutions like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They have been collaborators since their time in graduate school in 2010.

Zephyr Fusion aims to address the power limitations of satellites, which typically operate on kilowatt-scale solar power, constraining high-power applications in orbit. The company's solution is a compact magnetic confinement system that leverages the vacuum of space, allowing for a dipole magnetic confinement device to create the large plasma confinement regions needed for fusion without requiring bulky reactor hardware. This approach is made viable by recent advancements in high-temperature superconductors (HTS) and significantly lower launch costs. The technology is designed to provide megawatt-class power at a fraction of the cost of equivalent solar arrays, potentially catalyzing a new space economy that includes large-scale industry, in-orbit data centers, and high-power electrical propulsion. The company is a Y Combinator participant and is seeking introductions to satellite, defense, and other teams with an interest in megawatt-class power in orbit.

Keywords: in-orbit fusion power, space industry, megawatt-class reactor, compact magnetic confinement, dipole magnetic confinement, high-temperature superconductors, space economy, satellite power source, plasma physics, nuclear engineering, deep tech, space propulsion, orbital power, fusion energy, Y Combinator, advanced energy, space technology, electrical propulsion, satellite technology, industrial space economy