05 February 2021 Share General Atomics (GA) has completed the construction and testing of the first of seven superconducting magnet modules that will make up the Central Solenoid of the ITER international fusion machine. The module is part of the USA's largest contribution to the fusion project, and will be shipped to the ITER construction site in France later this year. The first module is now tested and ready for shipping to France (Image: GA) The module was built at GA's Magnet Technologies Center in Poway, California, under the direction of the US ITER project, managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Fabrication of the module began in 2015. The module was tested during and after its production in extreme conditions similar to those it will experience during ITER operation, including near-complete vacuum and cryogenic temperatures required for the magnet to become superconducting (4.5 Kelvin, -270 degrees Celsius). Components were evaluated at the SULTAN testing facility in Switzerland.