Spider beam source ready for operation

The SPIDER Beam Source (BS), thefirst prototype of a full scale ion source for the ITER Heating Neutral Beaminjector, was delivered to the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) site in Padova (Italy) after aboutfive yearsprocurement phase.A huge effort was devoted during the procurement for quality controls and testing at the supplier's work-shops. Several activities were also carried out on NBTF site for verification/adjustment of interfaces, solution ofstill open issues, as well asfinal tests before and after installation inside the vacuum vessel.The NBTF Team undertook the BS site acceptance tests including: pressure and leak tests of the hydrauliccircuits; electrical tests; measurement of magneticfield profiles; functionality tests of diagnostics installed on theBS; checks of grids alignment by means of laser tracker.Accurate positioning of the BS inside the vacuum vessel was performed and various service lines were con-nected in a tight space. Several improvements were undertaken in order to guarantee reliability and reduce therisks during the commissioning and experimental campaign in 2018.After installation, the integrated commissioning phase was initiated, powering the RF and high voltage cir-cuits, followed by thefirst operation in vacuum.