Technologies Beyond Fusion

First Light is a force multiplier for aerospace, space and defence. 

We turn fusion expertise into accelerated R&D and breakthrough innovation across adjacent industries.

Hypervelocity Impact Testing

We possess world-class, record-breaking hypervelocity and high-pressure technology, with all capabilities integrated under one roof. Our unique combination of expertise, patented technology, and large-scale infrastructure enables us to deliver results that few facilities in the world can match.

Using our gas-gun systems and pulse power technology, we can test and simulate a wide range of extreme conditions, including:

  • Extreme temperatures – replicating the intense heat experienced in aerospace, defence, and space environments
  • Extreme pressures – achieving conditions comparable to those deep within planetary interiors or during high-speed impacts
  • Radiation exposure – simulating harsh radiation fields for materials and component testing
  • X-ray exposure – enabling detailed study of structural integrity under rapid and destructive events

First Light’s patented amplifier technology can significantly increase test energy and enable access to unprecedented impact speeds and pressures. This advancement not only enhances performance but also opens new possibilities for research, development, and qualification of critical systems across a range of sectors.

Data Science

First Light delivers advanced modelling and simulation tailored to high energy density physics, fusion, and hypersonic impact, enabling mission-critical insight where testing is difficult, costly, or simply, impossible. Our multi-scale, multi-physics toolsets model hydrodynamics, thermal conduction, material strength, radiation transport, and resistive magnetohydrodynamics, backed by proprietary atomic-scale models for extreme accuracy.

Built for highly dynamic, transient events, our environment supports:

  • Hypersonic vehicle survivability
  • Warhead and armour characterisation
  • Material performance under extreme shock and heat

Our patented software rapidly integrates new physics, bespoke boundary conditions, and unique mission requirements, drawing on in-house expertise in aerothermodynamics, mechanical engineering, and plasma physics.

AI integration accelerates design cycles, automates optimisation, and continuously calibrates models with experimental data for maximum predictive confidence. We also deliver advanced diagnostic exploitation, including PDV, VISAR, and scintillator interpretation, deployable for real-time operational sensing.

Underpinning this is our high-performance computing infrastructure, scaling from precision single runs to thousands of simulations in parallel, enabling exhaustive design space exploration and robust statistical assurance.

Radiation and X-rays

First Light provides end-to-end capability to generate, measure, and simulate radiation and X-ray environments representative of the most demanding defence and aerospace missions.

Our pulsed power systems and hypervelocity impact platforms can recreate high-intensity, short-duration bursts of radiation and X-rays - enabling the qualification of systems, components, and materials against nuclear, space, and high-energy weapon effects.