[hobscoop]

SPARC is aiming for Q_plasma of about 10 in 2025, but not to generate energy at all: it doesn't have any of the required 'blanket' system for breeding tritium. SPARC is a physics test, to make sure our theories of burning plasma are correct and to test the stability of these high field tokamaks.

ITER is (among other things) supposed to be a physics test, but won't come until 2035. So SPARC's goal is to 'leapfrog' that by 10 years.

You're right that there's a lot of work to be done between Q_plasma = 10 and generating energy. A lot of this work on the materials side, to engineer materials that can last for years in a fusion reactor environment.