Building fusion knowledge, one weld at a time

2026-06-23 - With the successful lift and placement of the sixth and final central solenoid module on Tuesday 23 June, ITER assembly teams complete the central solenoid "stack." Next, a support structure will be assembled around the magnet tower and "pre-compressed" before installation in the machine.

2026-06-23 - The 110-tonne component has to be lowered into place between busbar extensions with margins of only 50 mm on one side and 65 mm on the other.

2026-06-23 - The sixth and last central solenoid module is positioned by crane above the "stack."

2026-06-23 - The sixth and last module of the ITER central solenoid is installed at the top of the stack in June. The achievement is the result of close coordination between ITER engineers, the US Domestic Agency, and the CNPE assembly consortium.

2026-06-23 - In June, the landscape of the Assembly Hall changes again as a new vacuum vessel sector arrives in tooling (left) and the central solenoid stack gets topped with a six magnet module (right).

2026-06-23 - A central solenoid module is gripped by a tool that exerts radial force (instead of pulling from above). When it reaches the top of the central solenoid stack later today it will be the sixth and final magnet module.

2026-06-22 - These engineers are transferring the 440-tonne load of vacuum vessel sector #7 from its overhead radial beam to its gravity support below.

2026-06-22 - ITER personnel mark the International Day of Yoga by starting the week with a 30-minute outdoor yoga session. The event was sponsored by the Consulate General of India in Marseille, which provided participants with yoga mats, T-shirts and a healthy breakfast.

2026-06-19 - Vacuum vessel sector #9 is lifted out of the upending "cradle" to be transferred across the way into a sector sub-assembly tool.

2026-06-18 - The ITER tokamak assembly pit in June 2026, with five of nine vacuum vessel modules in place.

2026-06-18 - The victory was hard-earned, but the trophy ultimately went to a team of eight fusion researchers sporting “Fuse Baby Fuse” T-shirts provided by ITER. On Thursday, 18 June, the Applied Physics Department at TU Eindhoven (Netherlands) held its annual football tournament. The winning side, DT United, was made up of eight players from the TU Eindhoven fusion group and the DIFFER fusion department.

2026-06-18 - Toroidal field coil #7 (TF07) is removed from the cryostat of the ITER magnet cold test facility, after the successful completion of cold tests. Analysis of joint resistance after the cold test at 4 K (-269 °C) revealed no abnormalities.

2026-06-17 - The first bellows unit is transferred from storage into the Tokamak Building. A total of 93 bellows units (83 rectangular and 8 circular) will be installed between the vacuum vessel and the cryostat, or between the cryostat and the building walls to accommodate thermal expansion and mechanical loads during operation.

2026-06-17 - The "Top Welding, Top ITER" competition brings together welders from across the project together to test their skills in a series of welding categories. Here, first-place welders celebrate their victory on stage with head judge Robert Pearce (left), Head of Construction Project Sergio Orlandi (second from right), and Machine Assembly Program Manager Jens Reich (right).