World’s most powerful superconducting magnetic actuator is space flight ready

A Los Angeles-based company has achieved a key milestone as its powerful magnetic actuator is flight-ready. Called Supertorquer, the device is expected to become the most powerful magnetic actuator ever flown.Developed by Zenno Astronautics, the Supertorquer is integrated aboard Portal Space Systems’ Starburst-1 spacecraft, which Portal recently revealed publicly for the first time. Next generation of spacecraft capabilities “Portal was built to enable the next generation of spacecraft capabilities, and that means working with partners who are pushing the state of the art,” said Jeff Thornburg, CEO of Portal Space Systems. “Zenno’s Supertorquer is a great example of exactly that. Flying the world’s most powerful magnetic actuator aboard a highly maneuverable spacecraft expands the mission options available to our defense and commercial customers and reinforces what’s possible when advanced technologies are brought together on a single platform.” Supertorquer’s flight heritage The company also pointed out that the latest reveal marks the next step in the Supertorquer’s flight heritage, following its first launch with Impulse Space. When the November 2025 partnership was announced, the Supertorquer was on track for its first mission with Portal; today it is built, integrated aboard Starburst-1, and moving through the final flight preparations. World-first system that uses superconducting electromagnetics to control a spacecraft’s attitude The Supertorquer is a world-first system that uses superconducting electromagnetics to control a spacecraft’s attitude — its orientation— without consuming chemical propellant. The flight unit is designed to generate a magnetic dipole of up to 3,500 A·m², interacting directly with Earth’s magnetic field to provide control authority in MEO and GEO orbits without depleting a consumable resource or competing with the propellant budget reserved for maneuvering, according to a press release. On a mission built around rapid, repeated repositioning, that distinction is the point: every kilogram of fuel Starburst does not spend on pointing is a kilogram available for changing orbits. That powerful magnetic field may also produce another useful effect: radiation shielding, as per the release. Deflecting some charged particles away from the spacecraft The company also pointed out that by deflecting some charged particles away from the spacecraft, the Supertorquer’s field has the potential to reduce the radiation environment experienced by onboard systems. Zenno’s laboratory testing has shown promising results, and the Supertorquer aboard Starburst-1 will carry a charged-particle counter to measure the effect in orbit.Starburst-1 is Portal’s first free-flying mission with live payloads, designed to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), rapid retasking, and rapid orbital change for national security and commercial operators. The mission will run for a one-year primary campaign and will also validate subsystems shared with Portal’s larger trans-orbital vehicle, Supernova, including the high-performance RCS thrusters that serve as Starburst’s main translational propulsion.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.