I believe that a fusion reactor mod should be added to this pack.

Fusion reactors should serve as a mid game power generation source to bridge the gap between nuclear and antimatter power sources in powering interstellar spaceships and serving as a primary generation source on waterless worlds.

Crafting fusion reactors should require both iridium and beryllium components. Fusion fuel should be crafted using cryonite and holmium components. Fluroketane can be replaced with thermofluid to simplify the complexity of both the mod and add a challenge for players attempting to create fusion powered spaceships (Note that thermal radiators will need to be modified to work on land or a cooling recipe will need to be added to the cryogenic plant and the cryogenic plant will need to be modified to work on spaceships if thermofluid is used in fusion reactors.)

If balance deems that reactor fuel is too easy to obtain this way one solution would be to require naquium powder be added to the fuel cell crafting recipe. This should be done along side an early research for partial naquium refining, only up to naquium powder. This gives the additional benefit of softening the overwhelming transition to deep space science since players will now have mining and refining of the resource partially completed.

I understand that this is already a large ask; However, an integration with a fork of the the fusion thruster mod would bridge the wide gap in Space Exploration's propulsion options between ion engines and antimatter engines.

Thank you.

I have looked at adding fusion and decided against it as it currently stands. Requiring material, astro and energy puts it where energy beaming is which is what you could be using for power. Having it require naq puts it close to antimatter reactors. So I dont think im going to add fusion reactors.

The only thing I can think to have it make sense is to nerf it down to early space sciences and have it consume some of the thermofluid it uses so it would require cryogenic plant with a ground based cooling recipe and constant deliveries of 25c thermofluid from space

I look at it again, It could maybe work as an alternative to energy beaming

Requiring material, astro and energy puts it where energy beaming is which is what you could be using for power. Having it require naq puts it close to antimatter reactors...

Players can make nuclear interstellar ships to visit asteroid fields before antimatter reactors. By default, doing it before you need to make deep space science is useless. I'm suggesting rewarding them to do it early with fusion power. By early, i mean after getting some or all of the four unique space sciences but still far before antimatter reactors.

Fusion differs from energy beaming by not requiring water to operate, but not putting out as much energy as energy beaming can emit.

It wouldn't require water, but it would require thermofluid cause you loose some when cooling

I have released first version of fusion reactors https://mods.factorio.com/mod/sei-fusion-reactor I have done some balancing but more balancing may be done