The Condor Array Telescope achieved a significant milestone last night: it obtained a first-light image.

Although the image (of a randomly-selected star field) is blurry and out of focus, it is significant in that it indicates that all major telescope systems---optical, mechanical, electronic, and computing---are functioning more or less as expected.

There remains a lot of work to be done, and the next weeks and months will undoubtedly be busy …

The Condor Array Telescope was scheduled to have been deployed to the El Sauce Observatory in the Rio Hurtado Valley of Chile in (Northern Hemisphere) summer of 2020. But 2020 was no ordinary year: Covid intervened, the Chilean border was closed to international travelers, and deployment to this superb astronomical site was necessarily delayed. But we are now pleased to announce that Condor has found a new temporary home at …