Time to move on towards what works, and is not so expensive: Sandia's Z-machine: https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/nuclear_fusion/ http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/fusion-energy-breaking-even/ http://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/newenergyandfuel/com/2012/09/18/sandia-lab-releases-info-on-a-new-type-of-fusion-device/

Like NIF, ITER is also on the road to dismal failure, for the same reason: built before the physics are fully understood. In the case of NIF it is well understood that 10MJ are required i.e. NIF is underpowered by at least a factor 10 (despite its 192 lasers). In the case of ITER it will self-destruct as soon as fired at full power because disruptions cannot be controlled. Now there is another avenue, which has demonstrated fusion and is expectd to break even before end 2013: Sandia's Z-machine and Baikal, its russian equivalent. Both very inexpensive compared to either NIF or ITER.