A UK tech firm has partnered with NASA and welcomed the former CEO of collapsed ‘Concorde successor’ firm Reaction Engines.
First Light Fusion has developed amplifier technology which could be vital for use in commercial fusion power plants. It now plans to enter into commercial partnerships with other inertial fusion companies and schemes, replacing previous plans to build its own power plant.
Simultaneously, First Light will partner with companies, universities and institutions in non-fusion sectors that can benefit from its technology and research facilities across sectors including space exploration and defense.
New CEO Mark Thomas left Abingdon-based Reaction Engines – which sought to make hypersonic flight a reality with its precooling technology – in October 2024 after it crashed into administration.
More than three-quarters of the workforce at Oxford University spinout, founded in 1989 by three propulsion engineers from Rolls Royce, were made redundant by administrator PwC, which later revealed the firm had debts of £160m. It is now being wound down.
Thomas had led the firm since 2015 following a 25-year career at Rolls Royce and attempted to move its focus from pure research and development to industry sponsorship.
Thomas told BusinessCloud in 2020: “We’re looking beyond the next Concorde… we’re looking to go hypersonic – which is more than double the speed again. And that’s a completely different threat domain.”
NASA partnership
First Light Fusion is working with NASA and the Open University to explore the potential applicability of its amplifier technology in high velocity impact testing. It says that one of the greatest risks to further space exploration is the risk of debris traveling at enormous speeds damaging satellites and vehicles.
Alongside NASA, the Open University will explore potential applicability of First Light’s amplifier technology to test how critical materials sent to space react and perform under these high speeds and pressures, which cannot be replicated on conventional gas guns.
First Light will lease its technology tests of shielding materials under greater speeds in a scalable and cost-effective way, whilst providing its expertise throughout.
“Our focus is clear: accelerating the path to commercial fusion by leveraging our amplifier technology to make fusion power faster, simpler, and more cost-effective,” said Thomas, who joined in January, according to LinkedIn.
“By partnering with fusion companies worldwide, we can provide a critical piece of the supply chain for a viable fusion power plant. Developed and manufactured in Britain, this breakthrough will not only transform fusion but also open new frontiers in materials science and beyond.”