Two and a quarter years after it was delivered to the LS2 intervention teams, the key to the LHC is back in the hands of the Operations group

FASER, the Forward Search Experiment, has been installed in the LHC tunnel during Long Shutdown 2. It is currently being tested and will start taking data next year

The Proton Synchrotron accelerated its first beam on 4 March after a comprehensive two-year overhaul

The new Beam Gas Ionisation beam profile monitor, installed in the Proton Synchrotron (PS) last month, will help accelerator physicists and operators gain new insights into the dynamics of the PS beams

Upgraded beam lines will support existing and new collaborations in an environmentally savvy manner in one of CERN’s oldest facilities

The PS Booster successfully received its first beams from Linac4 in December. The PSB team is now preparing the machine for acceleration

The upgraded Muon Forward Tracker, one of ALICE’s main subdetectors, was installed in the cavern in December

COVID-19 has undoubtedly had an impact on the activities and schedule of LS2. Nevertheless, the accelerators are now starting up again

After the PS, it is now time for the SPS to return to the Operations group’s hands. Beam commissioning in the accelerator is scheduled for 12 April 2021

The upgraded ALICE Miniframe was reinstalled in the experimental cavern in November

The schedule for the current long shutdown (LS2) has had to be modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Sector 4-5 of the LHC has now been cooled with superfluid helium to a temperature of 1.9 K (−271.3 °C)