The Core of Discovery.

Phase 01

Flintlock

SGTS-1 — Single-Gun Test Stand

Just as a flintlock mechanism is the essential spark for a musket, the SGTS-1 perfects the fundamental building block of the PJMIF concept: the high-velocity plasma gun.

• 01Design and build the next-generation coaxial plasma gun for high-pulsed power loads.
• 02Achieve repeatable plasma jet velocity exceeding 50 km/s with required particle density.
• 03Characterize the jet's shape, temperature, and divergence using advanced diagnostics.
• 04Demonstrate electrode and insulator durability over hundreds of repeated firings.

Phase 02

Torch

MTI-1 — Magnetized Target Injector

While Flintlock works on the "hammer," Torch focuses on the "fuel." The MTI-1 creates a magnetized plasma target — a self-contained ring of plasma (a spheromak or field-reversed configuration) with its own internal magnetic field — and injects it into the center of the reaction chamber.

• 01Generate a stable, high-temperature plasma target with a sustained internal magnetic field.
• 02Launch the target into a vacuum chamber so it arrives at the exact geometric center at a precise moment in time.
• 03Confirm the target retains its heat and magnetic field for hundreds of microseconds — long enough for the incoming plasma liner to arrive.

Phase 03

Minuteman

MS-72 — Minuteman Sphere

The first system-level experiment. The Minuteman Sphere integrates 72 plasma guns around a spherical chamber to demonstrate synchronized firing and complete plasma liner formation.

• 01Integrate 72 plasma guns and their pulsed-power capacitor banks onto a single vacuum vessel.
• 02Trigger all 72 guns within a window of less than 100 nanoseconds.
• 03Confirm via high-speed imaging that the individual jets merge to form a closed, spherically converging plasma shell.
• 04Measure implosion symmetry as the liner converges toward center.

Phase 04

Independence

IC-256 — Independence Core

The breakthrough mission. The IC-256 is a full-scale scientific fusion device with 256 plasma guns. It combines the liner technology from Minuteman with the target injector from Torch to attempt significant fusion energy release for the first time.

• 01Complete the 256-gun facility.
• 02Achieve synchronized firing of the full array to compress an injected target to multimegabar pressures.
• 03Generate a measurable burst of fusion neutrons, confirming that fuel conditions (temperature and density) are being reached.
• 04Demonstrate scientific breakeven: fusion energy released in a single pulse equals or exceeds the energy delivered to the target plasma.

Phase 05

Columbia

LPP-1 — Liberty Pilot Plant

The transition from physics experiment to energy-producing machine. LPP-1 is designed to create fusion repetitively — once every second — and capture the resulting energy. This facility is the engineering blueprint for a commercial fusion power station.

• 01Fire the entire system (inject target, fire guns, evacuate chamber) in a continuous cycle at 1 Hz or higher.
• 02Integrate a flowing liquid metal blanket to absorb heat and neutron flux, converting it into thermal energy.
• 03Breed new tritium fuel within the reactor blanket from lithium, closing the fuel cycle.
• 04Operate the plant so total electrical energy produced significantly exceeds total energy consumed.