On October 20, 2026, a superconducting magnet launched into space aboard Portal Space Systems’ Starburst-1 spacecraft. Called the Almighty Magnet, it was built by Zenno Astronautics using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape from Faraday Factory Japan. According to the company, it is the most powerful magnetic actuator ever built and flown to orbit.
The launch took place on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Bandwagon-5 mission. The device is Zenno’s largest Supertorquer to date. It uses interaction with Earth’s magnetic field to orient and maneuver a spacecraft, reducing reliance on conventional propulsion systems. Faraday Factory adapted the tape to the requirements of space hardware. Results from in-orbit testing have not yet been released, and no activation date for the system has been given.
The collaboration between the two companies began in 2024. In October 2025 a new phase followed, with the Mirai tape, introduced in July 2025, being used in the coils of Zenno’s magnets. The stated goal was to improve operating margins, reduce mass and shorten system activation times. Zenno is now looking at other uses: satellite positioning, radiation shielding and electromagnetic acceleration. For now these are development targets, not capabilities demonstrated by the hardware just launched.
For those following nuclear energy, the key point is the material. Faraday Factory operates the world’s largest HTS tape production facility and has delivered more than 10,000 km of tape to hundreds of customers. Demand is driven primarily by nuclear fusion, followed by power grids, aerospace, railways and healthcare. As early as 2024, cumulative deliveries to fusion companies had exceeded 5,000 km. Customers are spread across four continents and pursue different concepts: tokamaks, stellarators, levitated dipoles and others.
In fusion reactors, HTS tape is used to build compact magnets capable of very intense fields, which confine the plasma. Every application that tests the material under extreme conditions, such as the vacuum and temperatures of space, generates industrial experience that is also useful to this sector. Higher volumes also mean a more robust supply chain, with effects on the availability and cost of the conductor.
The test bench is now orbit. If Almighty Magnet confirms the expected performance, Faraday Factory will be able to present its tape as a material already proven beyond the atmosphere, one more argument in negotiations with fusion magnet makers.
