COMPASS history

1977

CASTOR tokamak put in operation (taken over from Kurchatov Institute in Moscow, Russia)

1985

CASTOR tokamak upgrade – new vacuum vessel and positional feedback system

1999

Czech Republic associated to EURATOM – Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR became a coordinator of Association EURATOM-IPP.CR

2004

COMPASS-D officially offered by UKAEA to IPP Prague.

November 2005

Decision to take over COMPASS-D tokamak, governmental support provided

June 2006

Start of the COMPASS Project - CCE-FU EURATOM granted the Preferential support

July-December 2006

• Call for tenders for the new building and power supplies

• Building licensing

• Dismantling of COMPASS at Culham started

December 2006

CASTOR tokamak mothballed and moved to Czech Technical University

December 9, 2008

1st plasma generated in COMPASS (gallery)

February 19, 2009

Official start of tokamak test operation (gallery)

2009 - 2011

Final commissioning of the diagnostics, control systems, power supplies