Here is an update on the status of our facilities following the severe storm system that affected the region, causing widespread flooding and the closure of public roads throughout the area. As a precaution, we evacuated all personnel from our mountain facilities before the storm arrived and safely secured our observatories. The rain did not stop until Tuesday, July 22, and the public road connecting the city of La Serena to the Elqui Valley, where the entrance to our property is located, remained impassable until yesterday, Thursday July 23rd, when we were finally able to cross it.

We are currently working to clear and repair the access road within the AURA property in order to reach all facilities. On Friday July 24th, they successfully reached the summit of Cerro Tololo, although they had to travel over roads that remain in very poor condition. We still need to clear the road to regain access to Cerro Pachón. The time required to reach the summit will depend on the conditions encountered along the route. However, based on our assessments to date, the road leading to the observatories will require extensive repairs, and it will take time to restore it to full operational condition.

The fiber-optic connection to both mountaintops has been restored. However, restoring commercial power will take considerable and uncertain time, as we have not even begun to inspect the power lines road through the main wash. In the meantime, we are working to supply electricity with generators to the areas that are most critical to operations, although this effort is still underway.

We cannot yet determine when normal observatory operations will resume. However, our entire team is working diligently toward that goal.

We will keep you informed of any significant developments.

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Science Operations Announcements