The most powerful superconducting magnet ever flown to space, made with Faraday Factory HTS tape, launches aboard Starburst-1
Zenno Astronautics' breakthrough magnetic technology incorporates special high temperature superconducting tape developed by Faraday Factory Japan
TOKYO, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Faraday Factory Japan celebrates the successful launch of Zenno Astronautics' largest Supertorquer to date aboard Portal Space Systems' Starburst-1. The Almighty Magnet is the world's most powerful magnetic actuator ever built and flown to space. The launch took place aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 Bandwagon-5 mission on October 20, 2026.
Developed and engineered by Zenno, Supertorquer uses advanced superconducting magnet technology to generate powerful magnetic interactions with Earth's magnetic field. Faraday Factory has supplied specially customized high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape to meet Zenno's demanding performance requirements for this pioneering space application.
The development of superconducting space technologies represents a major opportunity to transform how spacecraft operate and interact in orbit. High temperature superconductor magnets enable exceptionally strong magnetic fields while minimizing energy consumption, paving the way for compact, powerful, and energy-efficient space systems. Since partnering in 2024, Faraday Factory and Zenno have steadily accelerated this work.
"Almighty Magnet is opening the door to a whole new set of capabilities in space, from mass drivers and magnetic radiation shields to advanced satellite mobility. We're building and flying the superconducting technology that makes this possible, and Faraday Factory Japan is our partner in that effort," said Max Arshavsky, Founder and CEO of Zenno.
"The launch of Starburst-1 marks an important milestone for Faraday Factory, demonstrating the HTS potential to enable some of the most demanding and innovative applications of superconductivity. We strongly support game-changing Zenno's effort to electrify space technologies," said Sergey Lee, Founder and CEO of Faraday Factory Japan.
About Faraday Factory
Faraday Factory Japan runs the largest manufacturing facility of high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape worldwide. Over recent years, the company has delivered more than 10,000 km of HTS tape to hundreds of customers. The company serves a rapidly growing market of HTS tape, which is led by ever increasing demand from fusion energy, power grid, aerospace, railway, healthcare, and other high-tech markets.
About Zenno
Zenno develops the most powerful magnetic technologies for space. This is a new class of superconducting systems designed to power the next era of human expansion. Our belief is simple — stable and scalable infrastructure in space will rely on resources already present there.
Zenno is building that future by harnessing one of the fundamental forces of the universe, electromagnetism. Our superconducting technologies enable fuel-free spacecraft positioning, radiation shielding, and electromagnetic acceleration systems for defense, transportation, and industrial activity in space.
https://www.zennoastronautics.com/
SOURCE Faraday Factory Japan
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