Start 2008 with full on hardware commissioning. Milestones will include:

• Getting the whole ring cold
• Current in all main circuits at the same time

Hardware commissioning hands over to Operations in July: full machine check-out, LHC prepares for beam

• Closure of the ring for access tests.
• All magnets powered to top energy together.
• All equipement running together - magnets, RF, dumps, beam instrumentation etc.
• First beam into the machine - late July.
• First full turn hopefully shortly after
• First circulating beam - 2 or 3 days later with a bit of luck.
• First collisions at 450 GeV.
• First collisions at 7 TeV - guessing around 2 months after we first get beam.