South Korea to develop technology for artificial sun ‘KSTAR’ by 2026

Why in news?

• The South Korean government is planning to develop a technology for Korea’s first artificial sun ‘KSTAR’ to maintain 100 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2026.

About ‘KSTAR’

• The Korean government is planning to develop a technology for Korea’s first artificial sun ‘KSTAR’ to maintain 100 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2026. The 300 seconds is the minimum time required for the commercialization of nuclear fusion technology.
• The Ministry of Science and ICT announced recently that it held the 16th National Fusion Committee at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy and finalize the ‘4th basic plan of nuclear fusion energy development (2022-2026)’. The science ministry sets goals and directions of its policies for nuclear fusion energy development every 5 years.
• According to the plan, it will continue to improve operating technology in the field of KSTAR experiments, which are showing great results such as maintaining 100 million degrees of ultra-high temperature plasma (for 30 seconds in 2021), and will develop technology to maintain the temperature for 300 seconds by 2026.
• The nuclear fusion is the basic principle that the artificial sun generates light and heat. The government is aiming to produce power such as electricity by artificially implementing this principle on Earth with KSTAR.