Hyperion requires fusion gain and nothing more. It does not have to reach net electricity (Q_E > 1), the closure milestone that gates the burners. Removing that requirement is what makes the breeder the near-term member of the family.
Net electricity demands not just fusion gain but a whole plant that produces more electricity than it consumes — a far harder, systems-level bar. Hyperion's product is materials, so it is measured on plasma gain alone, which it reaches at demonstrated confinement.
Every hard gate a machine must clear before it delivers product adds years and risk. By defining the breeder's success as gain, not closure, Kronos gives itself a buildable first product whose output funds the harder machines behind it.
| Required bar | fusion gain (Q_plasma ~1.9) |
| Not required | net electricity (Q_E>1) |
| Confinement need | H98 = 1.0 (demonstrated) |
| Consequence | near-term buildability |
| Contrast | burners are gated on closure |