Timeline
132 dated events across 1969–2026 — when devices first made plasma, what they measured, and where regulators moved.
This is when things happened. The changelog is when we recorded them — a different question, and conflating the two would date a 1980s machine to this year. Nothing here is added from outside knowledge to fill a gap: a sparse decade is what our sources support, not what the field did.
2026 1 event
- Result KSTAR Plasma duration: 102 s verified
2025 3 events
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Plasma duration: 1066 s verified
- Result National Ignition Facility Target gain (Q_target): 4.13
- Regulatory X-energy Application submitted
2024 4 events
- Regulatory Kairos Power Construction permit issued
- Result KSTAR Ion temperature: 8.6 keV verified
- Result KSTAR Plasma duration: 48 s verified
- Regulatory TerraPower Application submitted
2023 4 events
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Plasma duration: 403 s verified
- Result Joint European Torus Fusion energy yield: 69.26 MJ verified
- Regulatory Kairos Power Construction permit issued
- Result Wendelstein 7-X Plasma duration: 480 s
2022 11 events
- Result Joint European Torus Fusion energy yield: 59 MJ verified
- Result National Ignition Facility Target gain (Q_target): 1.5 verified
- Result National Ignition Facility Wall-plug gain: 0.0077 verified
- Result National Ignition Facility Fusion energy yield: 3.1 MJ verified
- Result National Ignition Facility Laser energy on target: 2.05 MJ verified
- Regulatory Oklo Application denied
- Result OMEGA Target gain (Q_target): 0.03
- Result ST40 Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 6300000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result ST40 Ion temperature: 9.6 keV
- Result ST40 Plasma density: 55000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result ST40 Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.012 s
2020 1 event
- First plasma MAST-U First plasma
2019 3 events
2018 6 events
- Built FUZE-Q Built / entered operation
- Built MT-1 Built / entered operation
- Result Wendelstein 7-X Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 6e+26 K m^-3 s
- Result Wendelstein 7-X Ion temperature: 40000000 K
- Result Wendelstein 7-X Plasma density: 80000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result Wendelstein 7-X Plasma duration: 26 s
2017 2 events
2016 10 events
- Result ASDEX UPGRADE Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 22000000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result ASDEX UPGRADE Ion temperature: 8 keV
- Result ASDEX UPGRADE Plasma density: 50000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result ASDEX UPGRADE Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.056 s
- Result C-Mod Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 74000000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result C-Mod Ion temperature: 2.5 keV
- Result C-Mod Plasma density: 550000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result C-Mod Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.054 s
- Built SCR-1 Built / entered operation
- First plasma WEST First plasma
2015 4 events
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 9600000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Ion temperature: 2.1 keV
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Plasma density: 85000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.054 s
2014 3 events
2013 2 events
2009 5 events
- Built National Ignition Facility Built / entered operation
- Result NSTX Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 4800000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result NSTX Ion temperature: 1.2 keV
- Result NSTX Plasma density: 50000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result NSTX Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.08 s
2006 6 events
2005 2 events
2002 1 event
- Built HL-2A Built / entered operation
2000 2 events
1999 2 events
1998 8 events
- Result JT-60U Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 559999999999999930000 m^-3 keV s
- Result JT-60U Ion temperature: 16.8 keV
- Result JT-60U Plasma density: 48000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result JT-60U Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.69 s
- Built Large Helical Device Built / entered operation
- Result START Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 61000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result START Ion temperature: 0.2 keV
- Result START Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.003 s
1997 7 events
- Result DIII-D Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 370000000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result DIII-D Ion temperature: 18.1 keV
- Result DIII-D Plasma density: 85000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result DIII-D Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.24 s
- Built HYBTOK-II Built / entered operation
- Result Joint European Torus Plasma gain (Q_plasma): 0.63
- Built TJ-II Built / entered operation
1995 5 events
- Built OMEGA Built / entered operation
- Result Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 790000000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Ion temperature: 43 keV
- Result Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Plasma density: 66000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.28 s
1994 2 events
- Built EXTRAP T2R Built / entered operation
- Result Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Plasma gain (Q_plasma): 0.28
1992 1 event
- Built TCV Built / entered operation
1991 4 events
- Result Joint European Torus Fusion triple product (nTτ_E): 610000000000000000000 m^-3 keV s
- Result Joint European Torus Ion temperature: 18.6 keV
- Result Joint European Torus Plasma density: 41000000000000000000 m^-3
- Result Joint European Torus Energy confinement time (τ_E): 0.8 s
1990 1 event
- Built FTU Built / entered operation
1988 3 events
1986 1 event
- Built GDT Built / entered operation
1985 1 event
- Built T-11M Built / entered operation
1984 4 events
1983 3 events
- Built GAMMA 10/PDX Built / entered operation
- Built GEKKO XII Built / entered operation
- Built Joint European Torus Built / entered operation
1981 4 events
1978 4 events
1976 4 events
1972 4 events
1969 4 events
Design parameters are excluded: a figure describing what a machine was built to do is not an event in its history. See leaderboards for the same distinction applied to rankings.