Fusion plasma conditions are notoriously difficult to create and harder yet to maintain. One commonality between most attempts is that the fusion cores are huge, and the infrastructure to feed them is massive. Avalanche’s compact fusion machine is markedly different here; its fusion core can be held in your hands, and fully integrated could fit in a pickup bed. At the Canadian Workshop on Fusion Energy Science and Technology (CWFEST-2023), Robin Langtry, co-founder and CEO of Avalanche Energy, discussed the Orbitron: a compact plasma device that confines high-energy ions electrostatically in orbits around a cathode (as in an Orbitrap) while confining electrons in an E×B weak magnetic field (like a Magnetron). The presentation provides an overview of theoretical, simulation, and experimental milestones from Avalanche Energy's lab in Seattle. Peter Schwanke introduces Robin Langtry from Avalanche Energy to present 'Electrostatic Orbitron Fusion Reactor: Overview of scientific program at Avalanche Energy.' Langtry notes his background growing up in Ottawa, completing a master's in aerospace at Carleton University, earning a PhD in turbulence modeling in Germany, working at Boeing in Seattle and Blue Origin designing rocket plume aerodynamics, before founding Avalanche Energy to develop the world's smallest fusion reactor. Langtry invokes Peter Thiel's question from 'Zero to One'—'What important truth do very few people agree with you on?'—asserting that fusion reactors do not need to be large, billion-dollar machines. Small fusion power can be mobile, distributed, and mass-produced at scale, analogous to a Tesla battery pack. Instead of large civil engineering projects requiring warehouse-sized thermonuclear installations, small fusion devices can be constructed in weeks, iterated in days, and targeted at microgrids in remote locations, maritime shipping, aviation, and long-haul trucking. The Orbitron combines elements of an orbitrap (electrostatic ion trap with axial electrostatic pinching) and a magnetron (coaxial E×B electron confinement). Ions orbit electrostatically around a high-voltage negative cathode rod, while magnetized electrons co-rotate in an E×B field counterclockwise with the ions. The co-rotating electrons serve two main functions: mitigating space charge limitations to enable high plasma density, and acting as a 'tailwind' behind ions to counteract thermalization and extend ion burning time. The device operates with relatively weak magnetic fields (~0.6 T) and small diameters (tens of centimeters), requiring vacuum high voltages up to hundreds of kilovolts. Electrostatic and non-thermal fusion plasmas have historically been controversial in fusion science, notably challenged by Todd Ryder (1995) regarding recirculating power and Lampe & Manheimer (NRL, 1998) regarding Coulomb scattering rates exceeding fusion cross-sections. Langtry categorizes the two primary critiques as: 1) Electrostatic approaches cannot achieve high ion densities due to space charge effects; 2) Non-thermal approaches cannot achieve net energy due to excessive Coulomb collision losses. Avalanche approaches these issues by validating reduced-order models with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and empirical testing. Using particle-in-cell simulations, Avalanche demonstrated that as electron and ion populations scale, space charge coupling forces quasi-neutrality, allowing plasma loading well beyond standard electrostatic space charge limits. For Coulomb collision losses, first-order transport modeling across electron temperatures indicated a balanced low-loss regime between 10 to 20 keV where electron energy transfer counters deuterium slowing on tritium. Higher-density WarpX PIC simulations (developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) showed sustained fusion rates and significant particle retention past the theoretical 0.05-second Lampe and Manheimer thermalization limit. Avalanche operates a 15,000-square-foot facility in Seattle, Washington, with two primary prototypes: 'Neo' (operating at ~0.05 T and 100 kV, equipped with pulse shape discrimination scintillators, He-3 neutron counters, and X-ray/argon spectroscopy) and 'Marty' (housed in a shielded concrete vault, operating past 200 kV with a target of 300 kV and 0.3 T). Upcoming integration of superconducting magnets in January will unlock higher magnetic field regimes, paving the way toward mid-10^11 neutrons/second and eventual deuterium-tritium operation yielding ~1 kW of fusion power and Q > 1 viability. Avalanche Energy consists of 33 team members, including 13 PhDs, supported by investors including Lowercarbon Capital and Founders Fund. Langtry concludes that particle-in-cell simulations have largely resolved the space charge critique, with experimental confirmation underway on Neo, while long-term experiments on Marty with deuterium-tritium aim to demonstrate efficient, small-scale net-energy fusion scaling to 5 kW–10 kW power modules.