← Nuclear FusionWhat is nuclear fusion?Tokamak and StellaratorFusion timelineNuclear fusion in BrazilWhy won't fusion explode?Nuclear FusionFusion timelineFrom Eddington's hypothesis to the miniature Sun — 100 years of research.1920 Eddington's hypothesisArthur Eddington proposes that the Sun is powered by the fusion of hydrogen into helium. First connection between nuclear fusion and stellar energy.1934 First laboratory fusionErnest Rutherford performs the first controlled fusion reaction in a laboratory, in the United Kingdom.1958 Research goes publicThe USA and USSR declassify their programmes. International scientific cooperation on fusion begins.1968 Soviet tokamak surprises the worldThe Soviet T-3 achieves temperatures 10 times higher than any existing machine. The tokamak design is adopted worldwide.1974 Brazil enters the fieldResearch groups established at USP, UFRGS and UNICAMP following the oil crisis.1999 TCABR begins operationThe largest tokamak in the Southern Hemisphere inaugurated at the USP Institute of Physics. Still operating today and currently being upgraded.2007 ITER construction begins35 countries begin construction in Cadarache, southern France.5 Dec 2022 ★Historic ignition at NIFThe National Ignition Facility (USA) produces for the first time more fusion energy (3.15 MJ) than the laser energy delivered to the target (2.05 MJ). Four additional ignition experiments followed in 2023 and 2024.2025 ITER ahead of scheduleProject reports being ahead of its revised schedule. D-D fusion operations start planned for 2035.Various sources — DOE, NIF/LLNL, ITER Organization, Nuclear Engineering International, FUNAG.← PreviousTokamak and StellaratorNext →Nuclear fusion in Brazil