Photos: Building the World’s Largest Fusion Reactor

© ITER Organization

The first 110-ton module of the central solenoid, seen from below on December 6, 2023. When complete, the central solenoid will form an 18-meter-tall column at the heart of the tokamak, acting as an incredibly powerful superconducting magnet, driving current into the plasma. Teams from the United States fabricated the central solenoid, then shipped the modules to France. Thirty-five nations around the world are collaborating on the ITER project, building and contributing “in-kind” components and sharing the costs of construction and operation.