The approach employs so-called lattice confinement fusion (LCF), a concept first discovered by NASA. This can achieve solid-state fuel densities 400 million times higher than those achievable normally, according to the company.
Leveraging earlier research from NASA, Astral also claims its platform could lead to other applications such as safe hybrid nuclear energy, space exploration, and industrial and security industry applications.
Astral’s co-founder and CTO, Dr Tom Wallace-Smith told TechCrunch: “The whole industry has been in sort of supply constraint historically because of this reliance on centralized reactors.”