"Life at ITER" Gallery
Guiding the journal "Nuclear Fusion" into a new era
2026-10-12 - The new editor-in-chief of the journal Nuclear Fusion is ITER scientist Francesca Poli. “As we go into building many more fusion devices than in the last decades, much more research is being done on materials, on technology, and on operation. Nuclear Fusion needs to follow these developments and ensure the applicable research is being published, while also providing some leadership and guidance. This is a direction that the journal had already started and I'm really pushing for us to continue in this direction.”
Ceremony for the last core machine component
2026-10-05 - With the delivery on 2 October of vacuum vessel sector #2, by Europe, all of the core tokamak components (cryostat, magnets, vacuum vessel) are on site. At the ceremony held to mark the historic moment, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi takes a moment to marvel at all that has been accomplished.
Fun @ the science fair
2026-10-04 - ITER volunteers join three French national science fair events in October. With VR headsets, demonstrations, experiments and giveaways at the ITER stand, there was never a quiet moment!
L 15000 x W 9000 x H 9000
2026-10-02 - The teams celebrate the arrival of the last vacuum vessel sector to ITER. Some impressive statistics about the load are printed on the housing...
Michel Mayor: "beautiful and extraordinarily complex physics"
2026-09-24 - As an astrophysicist, Nobel Prize-winner Michel Mayor spent his career probing the immensity of the universe and searching for planets in solar systems light years away. Yet even he was struck by the sheer scale of ITER during a visit in late September. “It’s beautiful and extraordinarily complex physics. There is something to the glory of humanity in the fact that we concern ourselves with questions like these.”
Visiting ITER from a booth at SOFT
2026-09-24 - At the 34th Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT), held from 21 to 25 September 2026 in Aix-en-Provence, France, visitors to the ITER stand could "fly through" the ITER machine ... virtually.
Fusion technology specialists visit ITER
2026-09-23 - One of the highlights of participating in the 34th Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT), which was held just a few kilometres from the ITER site in September 2026, was the possibility of a bus trip to ITER. Around 250 conference attendees toured ITER machine construction in visits organized over two days.
Safety Day 2026
2026-09-17 - For the sixth consecutive year, Safety Day at ITER promoted best practices and reinforced the project’s strong safety culture. This year’s event brought together 150 volunteers, 1,500 visitors, and 36 booths—including this one, where glasses simulating the effects of marijuana put volunteers’ coordination to the test.
ITER @ IAEA General Conference
2026-09-16 - ITER takes part in the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in September, where fusion energy is part of the debate. Deepti Choubey, head of ITER Communication, delivers a statement emphasizing how lessons learned during the buildup to ITER operation are already benefitting the fusion community.
Third Tritium Plant Summit @ ITER
2026-09-15 - The Tritium Plant Summit provides a forum for the international teams responsible for delivering the tritium plant to exchange progress updates and coordinate approaches as the project moves from design towards manufacturing, installation and commissioning. All systems have now reached final design status and the first equipment is expected in 2028.
French YouTuber takes millions of people into ITER
2026-08-30 - In a video about three of France’s most “off-limit” locations, French YouTuber Amixem filmed the story of ITER from the inside, and published a video that is nearing 10 million views. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1bW68QJMUI.
New ITER/ASIPP postdoc program
2026-07-29 - ITER and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP), have launched a joint postdoctoral training program that will give early-career researchers the opportunity to conduct fusion research at both institutions under the supervision of experts from China and ITER. Outstanding doctoral graduates worldwide can apply at http://www.ipp.cas.cn/yjs/recurit.
Coordinating a major lift operation
2026-07-27 - Part of the tokamak assembly team receives a briefing during a shift change before sector module #1 is lowered into the tokamak pit. The lift operation at ITER on 27-28 July mobilized more than 100 people.
And the doors open to reveal ...
2026-07-22 - ITER Korean Fusion Day takes place directly in front of the open doors of the Assembly Hall, revealing the staging and pre-assembly areas for ITER's largest components.
ITER Korean Fusion Day
2026-07-22 - Dignities, representatives from industry, and staff from Korea gather with ITER officials on Wednesday 22 July for Korean Fusion Day, celebrating the supply of four vacuum vessel sectors to ITER and the imminent transfer of the last Korean sector into the tokamak pit.
!5th ITER International School takes place in China
2026-07-20 - The 15th ITER International School in China on heating and current drive systems is held from 20 to 24 July 2026 in Leshan, China. Pictured, the opening ceremony at the Engineering & Technical College of Chengdu University of Technology.
Russian Minister of Science @ ITER
2026-07-16 - In mid-July, Valery Falkov, the Russian Federation's Minister of Science and Higher Education, visits ITER with a delegation in the context of scientific and technological cooperation.
Visitors from the Kurchatov Institute
2026-07-15 - Iuliia Diakova, Director of the Kurchatov Institute (sixth from right), leads a delegation on 15 July 2026 to discuss scientific and technical cooperation in the framework of a cooperation agreement signed with the ITER Organization in June.
A souvenir for President Costa
2026-07-03 - António Costa, President of the European Council, holds a framed picture of the ITER tokamak in construction. During a visit to the site on 3 July 2026, President Costa is briefed by ITER and European Domestic Agency (F4E) representatives on ITER progress and how investments made by F4E are strengthening European competitiveness in a strategic technology. Copyright: European Union
ITER Director @ Aix forum
2026-07-02 - ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi takes the stage at the Aix Economic Forum ("Les Rencontres Économiques d'Aix") as part of a panel discussion titled "Planetary Boundaries: Earth on Red Alert." The annual forum reunites business leaders, academics, heads of state and government, non-profit organizations, and community leaders to debate major economic, political, and social issues.
Félicitations, diplômés!
2026-06-26 - On Friday 26 June, dozens of ITER staff attend a certificate ceremony celebrating their progress in the French language programs offered by the Welcome Office of Agence ITER France. Courses offered to ITER staff and their spouses are tailored by level—from complete beginners to B1 speakers.
Governance week at ITER
2026-06-25 - Chair of the ITER Council Eisuke Tada (Japan), ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, and ITER Deputy Director-General for Science & Technology Yutaka Kamada at the Thirty-Eighth Meeting of the ITER Council in June 2026.
International Day of Yoga 2026
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.
ITER T-shirts and a winning team
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.
Top Welding, Top ITER
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).
ITER's Construction Project Steering Board
2026-06-12 - Every month, the ITER Organization must determine whether thousands of activities—from design and manufacturing to component installation, commissioning, and operation—are progressing fast enough to keep the project on track. Twenty-one performance indicators are monitored by the Construction Project Steering Board (pictured), which meets monthly.
Top Welding, Top ITER is underway!
2026-06-11 - Welders from seven companies and four countries are competing in the onsite competition "Top Welding, Top ITER," showcasing the skill and precision essential to ITER tokamak assembly. The competition started on Thursday 11 June.
The team that makes visiting ITER possible
2026-06-08 - Accommodating approximately 20,000 visitors to the ITER site every year is a core team (photo) supported by a large network of volunteer guides drawn from across the organization. From left to right: Hélène Delmotte, Julie Marcillat, Anthony Sanna, Axelle Lohez, and program manager Kirsten Haupt.
Family and friends day
2026-06-06 - On Saturday 6 June, volunteers greet over 800 people on the worksite—personnel and their children, spouses and relatives—as gates open for a special Open Doors Day, one reserved exclusively for the family and friends of the ITER workforce.
ITER signs agreement with Russia's Kurchatov Institute
2026-06-04 - Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of the Kurchatov Institute, and Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, sign a cooperation agreement in Saint Petersburg on 4 June 2026 for the exchange of scientific information, the implementation of joint research programs, the training of young scientists and engineers, and the joint supervision of doctoral research.
A lucky winner!
2026-05-28 - On 28 May, structural engineer Darren Williams (right) found himself rather unexpectedly touring the ITER site—and crossing the path of ITER Director-General Barabaschi (centre)—only days after winning a prize giveaway from The B1M, a video construction channel. The event was part of the promotion for a new book "Mega Builds, Ten Colossal Construction Projects That Will Change Our World" by channel founder Fred Mills (left).
Meeting before a big lift
2026-05-26 - 7:00 a.m. on lift day: a pre-lift briefing gathers all of the people who will be managing the first phase of the lift operation.
Agence ITER France: 20 years of support
2026-05-26 - For two decades, Agence ITER France has been at the heart of France’s support to ITER, coordinating Host State commitments and helping deliver the infrastructure and territorial integration needed for the project’s success. In late May, a gathering of partners and officials commemorate the agency’s 20th anniversary.
ITER Robots 2026
2026-05-21 - Approximately 300 students take part in the 2026 ITER Robots competition in Pertuis, France, on Thursday 21 May. Each school team had built a Lego robot and programmed it to perform ITER-like robotics tasks such as grasping, lifting and positioning.
MAC members on site this week
2026-05-20 - Members of the ITER Council Management Advisory Committee (MAC) visit key infrastructure on the ITER site, including the control room where operators are managing the cooldown of the first magnet in the ITER magnet cold test facility.
Celebrating a first-of-a-kind assembly milestone
2026-05-05 - The team responsible for transferring the 440 tonnes of vacuum vessel sector #6 from its overhead radial beam to the concrete crown that distributes loads under the machine celebrates a first-of-a-kind operation that must be repeated eight more times.
300 participants for ITER's 3rd Public-Private Fusion Workshop
2026-04-28 - From 28 to 29 April 2026, the ITER Organization welcomes several hundred members of the global fusion ecosystem—startups, companies, and investors—for "Fusion: A Joint Quest," the third public-private fusion workshop in three years.
3rd Public-Private Fusion Workshop underway at ITER
2026-04-27 - At the ITER site in southern France, early workshop participants spend an afternoon meeting with machine assembly and plant system experts on the worksite. Panel discussions start on Tuesday 28 April.
Working in Japan on in-vessel assembly tooling
2026-04-20 - Tanaka Takeyuki (right) is working with engineer Nishidate Yuto on behalf of ITER Japan to develop grippers and tools for assembling the ITER blanket inside the vacuum vessel. Specifically, they are developing end effectors—peripheral devices attached to a robotic arm—and tools for gripping, fastening and pipe welding and cutting.
First phase feeder assembly completed
2026-04-20 - The special process teams gather to mark a key machine assembly milestone: the completion in the Tokamak Building of first-phase feeder assembly. From left to right: (front) Jaromir Farek, Ying Zhang, Nicholas Clayton, (back) Hyungjun Kim, Egor Marushin.
ITER @ ANS Student Conference
2026-04-18 - ITER participates in the April American Nuclear Society Student Conference, showcasing career opportunities—including internships, postgraduate, and postdoctoral positions—at the sold-out event, which attracted more than 700 nuclear engineering students. Deleah Lockridge, Head of ITER’s Engineering Services Department, also joined the panel discussion "Fusion: Future or Farce?" (photo, second from left).
Testing ITER plasma control on a live machine
2026-04-13 - In March, this team was at the KSTAR tokamak in Korea for the deployment and operation of ITER's plasma control system, iPCS. This was the first time the system achieved first plasma on an operating tokamak—a concrete result that reduces technical risk ahead of ITER plasma operations. From left to right: Taehyun Tak, Piotr Perek (DMCS), Luca Zabeo, Woong-Ryol Lee, Timo Ravensbergen, and Myounghun Kim.
EU delegation: ITER drives jobs and investment
2026-04-01 - A visit by a delegation of European lawmakers on 1 April highlighted ITER’s role in Europe’s long-term energy strategy and its growing impact on the European economy. Here, MEPs Christophe Grudler (France) and Yvan Verougstraete (Belgium) visit the Assembly Hall with ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi.
700 attend Open Doors
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.
“Even better in real life”
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.
ITER hosts 60 secondary school teachers from around Europe
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!
ITER representatives visit China
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.
Welcome!
2026-03-16 - Twice a year, the Welcome Office of Agence Iter France hosts a seminar at ITER for new employees and their families aimed at helping them navigate their new life in France—and also discover ITER!
A letter to China—and a reply from the President
2026-03-12 - Students enrolled in the Chinese section of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School (EIPACA) have received a letter directly from the pen of Chinese President Xi Jinping, wishing them well and encouraging them in their studies of Chinese language and culture. The correspondence was in reply to a letter the students, with the help of their teachers, had sent the Chinese President late last year, describing their enthusiasm for the unique studies they are undertaking in the south of France.
Women of ITER share their professional journeys
2026-03-09 - The personal stories and perspectives of women working at ITER are at the heart of an event held on Monday 9 March to mark International Women’s Day. The Women & Allies group at ITER organizes activities that inspire women and girls through events at schools and universities, as well as at ITER.
Planning the next experiments at JT-60SA
2026-02-26 - In February, members of the ITER Organization Science Division take part in the participate in an Experiment Team Coordination Meeting at the JT-60SA tokamak in Naka, Japan. The next campaign planned on the device will address critical ITER priorities.
A finger on the installation’s pulse
2026-02-18 - It's changing of the guard time in the ITER control room, as one shift operation manager hands off to another. On the screens is information about plant systems that are operational, and others that are in the commissioning phase. Approximately 15 plant systems will need to come on line before the ITER machine begins operating.
A team effort
2026-02-12 - These members of the CNPE team are photographed during the transfer of vacuum vessel sector #1 into tooling. The CNPE consortium (China Nuclear Power Engineering; China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company; Southwestern Institute of Physics; ASIPP; and Framatome) is responsible for sector module sub-assembly and tokamak machine assembly.
The story behind the mug
2026-02-09 - This mug seen around ITER offices features the Grad–Shafranov equation—the foundation for modelling the magnetic control of tokamak plasma. It was handwritten by ITER Emeritus Fellow Yuri Gribov, who retired late last year after working more than 18 years in the ITER Science Division. There is a personal link: as a young man in Russia, Gribov worked under Vitaly Shafranov. Read the full story here: https://www.iter.org/node/20687/story-behind-coffee-mug
The pride shows
2026-01-28 - Nicolas Sapet, Sector Modules Assembly Project Leader, has three stickers on his hard hat showing his involvement in the three major vacuum vessel lift operations that took place in 2025. He's about to add a fourth...
Walking more than 10 km a shift
2026-01-26 - Canine patrols may be on the low-tech end of security protocols for the ITER site, but they are integral nonetheless. Here, security officer Gwennael Wartelle and his dog Maïna are out on patrol on a hill behind the Tokamak Building.
Security is their business
2026-01-26 - A team of nine ITER Organization staff ensures security at ITER with the support of more than 60 security officers from the Seris security firm. Pictured here from left to right are Ingrid Chiaramonte, head of the Security & Safety Section Xavier Peaucelle, Michael Bouvant, Sylvain Duparchy, Laure Zingraff, Stephane Marco, Nicolas Tourniaire, and Sebastien Mineo. (Maiko Takeuchi could not be present for the photo.)
"Infilling" team in the Tokamak Building
2026-01-15 - This team is "infilling" busbar penetrations, making sure that the material around equipment crossing through wall penetrations meets the same safety and nuclear safety standards as the surrounding wall material. In this case, it's a bright blue elastomer, specially designed for ITER.
Last leg of a long trip
2026-01-13 - US Consul General Jessica Huaracayo and ITER Deputy Head of Construction Taka Omae look on as a 110-tonne central solenoid module is backed up through a narrow gateway at the start of the ITER itinerary. This is the seventh module to arrive from the United States and the last "highly exceptional load" expected as part of US procurement contributions.
