Fusion means recreating the power of a star here on Earth.
The fuel used in fusion naturally pushes apart, like two magnets resisting each other. In stars, this repulsion is overcome through enormous gravitational forces and temperatures. In these conditions, particles move fast enough to collide and release energy. This super-heated fuel is called plasma.
We cannot recreate the extreme gravitational forces here on Earth, so the plasma must be heated to extraordinary temperatures, over 100 million degrees Celsius - 10x hotter than the centre of the Sun! Nothing solid can survive interacting with that level of heat. To sustain this plasma in a vacuum chamber on Earth, we use magnetic fields to confine and control it.
This is very challenging. Many approaches try to squeeze plasma inwards with magnets, which has been compared to holding jelly together with rubber bands.
OpenStar takes a different approach, one inspired by nature. The magnetic field surrounding Earth holds plasma in a naturally stable configuration. OpenStar's technology works the same way, mimicking the magnetic field produced by Earth, and avoiding the instabilities that have challenged fusion for decades.