Photos: Building the World’s Largest Fusion Reactor
The ITER project in France is making progress on the construction of the world's largest fusion reactor, with a target date of 2033 for first plasma. The facility utilizes massive superconducting magnets and complex vacuum vessels to contain high-temperature plasma.
Why it matters
Fusion energy is considered a potential 'holy grail' for clean, limitless energy, and this project represents a massive international scientific collaboration.
© ITER Organization Four massive vacuum-vessel modules sit in place around the central solenoid coil of the ITER tokamak (a type of fusion reactor) in April 2026. Each of the nine wedge-shaped modules stands 13 meters (42.65 feet) tall and weighs approximately 1,200 tons. They are designed to contain a huge volume of intensely-hot plasma inside a torus-shaped vacuum vessel , confined by powerful magnetic fields.
The article provides a technical and descriptive overview of a scientific infrastructure project without political bias.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in