Practice makes precision

2026-04-03 - The next convoys along the ITER route mark a double milestone, carrying the final set of ITER correction coils from China while also representing the 199th and 200th exceptional-load convoys to travel along the ITER itinerary since 2015.

2026-04-02 - At the SITL logistics exhibition in Paris in April, the European Domestic Agency for ITER, the logistics group Daher, and the industrial river transport company CFT receive the “Green Shipper” award, recognizing the low-emission transport of ITER’s largest components across southern France’s inland sea Étang de Berre. The prize highlights the use of inland waterways as a cleaner alternative to road haulage for some of Europe’s most demanding cargo operations.

2026-03-28 - Jake Makarov, 17, from Pau, France, had already developed a strong interest in fusion energy and ITER before visiting during the latest Open Doors Day. He has even created a series of interactive web simulations and games on the topic. Seeing the project in person left him impressed: “It’s even better in real life!” ITER wishes him all the best in his plans to attend engineering school.

2026-03-28 - The ITER Assembly Hall rises to a height of 60 metres. Stepping inside evokes the surreal wonder of Alice in Wonderland, where the ordinary is transformed and familiar objects—like crane hooks—appear far larger than expected.

2026-03-28 - An Open Doors Day event on Saturday 28 March draws 700 visitors to the ITER site. Some 80 volunteers, plus security, worksite coordination, cleaning, IT, and facilities teams, are on hand to share their knowledge and make sure the day runs smoothly.

2026-03-28 - These participants in the 28 March ITER Open Doors Day were lucky—they could still see into the tokamak pit from a side viewport. Soon, additional sectors will completely block the view.

2026-03-27 - The first prototype components and ITER vacuum chamber interface models have been installed in the Godzilla robotic chamber, and experimental tests are underway on alignment, insertion and weight transfer. This phase marks the start of a major multiyear test campaign aimed at integrating and validating the tools and processes that will ultimately be deployed inside the ITER tokamak using specialized robotic systems.

2026-03-26 - Vacuum vessel sector #9 was delivered in early May by the European Domestic Agency. Here it is seen on its side (narrow side facing us) and marked for welding—each square representing the location of a diagnostic attachment.

2026-03-25 - A European Commission–organized trip brings secondary school teachers from across Europe to the ITER site in March to raise awareness of nuclear fusion and ITER. Equipping teachers with knowledge-sharing about fusion’s importance may in turn help inspire future career paths!

2026-03-24 - This diagram shows how a sector module comes together before it is inserted into the tokamak pit. One vacuum vessel sector (VV) is paired with thermal shielding (red and yellow) and two toroidal field coils (blue). Four sector modules are already in the tokamak pit and another two are being assembled in tooling.

2026-03-24 - In March, the ITER Deputy Director-Generals Yutaka Kamada (Science & Technology) and Luo Delong (Corporate) visit China’s Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP). SWIP is an important contributor for Chinese participation in ITER construction, providing key technologies and components. It is also home to the advanced-divertor tokamak HL-3, which provides support for ITER physics research priorities through an agreement signed in 2023.

2026-03-23 - Tandem upending tools are helping the construction teams maintain or even accelerate the schedule. Now that they are in a vertical orientation, these toroidal field coils can be transferred directly into the wings of a sector sub-assembly tool for assembly with a vacuum vessel sector.

2026-03-18 - The European Domestic Agency Fusion For Energy and the SIMIC S.p.A./CNIM consortium have completed the manufacturing, inspection and test of the first divertor cassette body. Fifty-four of these 5-tonne components form the backbone of the ITER divertor, located at the bottom of the reactor and designed to manage extreme heat and particle exhaust during plasma operations.

2026-03-16 - A vacuum vessel gravity support (under the yellow rigging) is lowered into the narrow space between the cryostat wall (left) and the vacuum vessel sectors in the pit (right).