The World’s Largest Artificial Sun Has Begun To Be Assembled

The assembly is expected to last for five years, marking the most significant nuclear fusion project in human history that has entered a new phase.

On July 28, the International Nuclear Thermal Experimental Reactor (ITER) held an installation and launch event in southern France. Leaders from 35 partner countries participated in the celebration remotely via a live broadcast system. This project is built by the EU, China, USA, Russia, the UK, India, Japan and Korea, with 20 billion euros.

ITER is considered the largest and most prestigious international scientific project in the world and is also the most significant nuclear fusion project in human history with the leading equipment containing millions of parts. The primary purpose of the ITER project is to simulate the fusion process that produces energy from the sun, so its core device, “Tokamak,” is also known as the “artificial sun.”

The sun generates energy through fusion, transmitting light and heat to the Earth, so that life on Earth can continue. ITER aims to create energy by mimicking the sun’s nuclear fusion process. This fusion reaction, if successful, can provide clean and reliable power without generating carbon emissions. Nuclear fusion is also safe because only a small amount of fuel is needed, and there is no possibility of physical leakage due to melting materials.

Not to mention, the energy released by nuclear fuel the size of pineapple will be equivalent to the energy released by burning 10,000 tons of coal. The cost of building and operating a nuclear fusion reactor is similar to building a nuclear fission reactor, but the waste it produces does not require high prices and a long time to process.

ITER’s General Director, Bernard Bigot, said at the launching ceremony that the ITER project’s energy would be “the miracle of the Earth,” and the power generated by nuclear fusion and other renewable energy sources will change the world’s energy use.