Abstract
Context. The GRAVITY+ upgrade implies a complete renewal of its adaptive optics (AO) systems. Its complex design, featuring moving components between the deformable mirrors and the wavefront sensors, requires the monitoring and auto-calibrating of the lateral mis-registrations of the system while in operation. Aims. For preset and target acquisition, large lateral registration errors must be assessed in open loop to bring the system to a state where the AO loop closes. In closed loop, these errors must be monitored and corrected, without impacting the science. Methods. With respect to the first requirement, our method is perturbative, with two-dimensional modes intentionally applied to the system and correlated to a reference interaction matrix. For the second requirement, we applied a non-perturbative approach that searches for specific patterns in temporal correlations in the closed loop telemetry. This signal is produced by the noise propagation through the AO loop. Results. Our methods were validated through simulations and on the GRAVITY+ development bench. The first method robustly estimates the lateral mis-registrations, in a single fit and with a sub-subaperture resolution while in an open loop. The second method is not absolute, but it does successfully bring the system towards a negligible mis-registration error, with a limited turbulence bias. Both methods proved to robustly work on a system still under development and not fully characterised. Conclusions. Tested with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors, the proposed methods are versatile and easily adaptable to other AO instruments, such as the pyramid, which stands as a baseline for all future AO systems. The non-perturbative method, not relying on an interaction matrix model and being sparse in the Fourier domain, is particularly suitable to the next generation of AO systems for extremely large telescopes that will present an unprecedented level of complexity and numbers of actuators.

Abstract
The Mid-Infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) will be one of only three 1st-generation science instruments on the 39m Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). METIS will provide diffraction-limited imaging and medium resolution slit-spectroscopy from 3-13 microns (L, M, and N bands), as well as high resolution (R approximate to 100,000) integral field spectroscopy from 2.9-5.3 microns. Both imaging and IFU spectroscopy can be combined with coronagraphic techniques. After the final design reviews of the optics (2021) and the entire system (2022), most hardware procurements have started. In this paper we present an overview of the status of the various ongoing activities. Many hardware components are already in hand, and the manufacturing is in full swing in order to start the assembly and testing of the subsystems in 2024 toward first light at the telescope in 2028/29. This rather brief paper only provides an overview of the project status. For more information, we refer to the detailed instrument paper which will be published soon.

Abstract
The delivery of curated data from astronomical instruments has become a reality in many observatories. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) delivers science-ready data products for various instruments, ranging from imagers to integral field spectrographs. In the case of infrared long-baseline interferometry, scientists generally make their curated data available through the Optical Interferometry Database (OiDB) once it is published. We report on a project to create a curated data stream for the GRAVITY instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. We aim to transform the publicly available raw data in the ESO science archive into science-ready curated data.

Abstract
Context. Since 2019, GRAVITY has provided direct observations of giant planets and brown dwarfs at separations of down to 95 mas from the host star. Some of these observations have provided the first direct confirmation of companions previously detected by indirect techniques (astrometry and radial velocities). Aims. We want to improve the observing strategy and data reduction in order to lower the inner working angle of GRAVITY in dual-field on-axis mode. We also want to determine the current limitations of the instrument when observing faint companions with separations in the 30-150 mas range. Methods. To improve the inner working angle, we propose a fiber off-pointing strategy during the observations to maximize the ratio of companion-light-to-star-light coupling in the science fiber. We also tested a lower-order model for speckles to decouple the companion light from the star light. We then evaluated the detection limits of GRAVITY using planet injection and retrieval in representative archival data. We compare our results to theoretical expectations. Results. We validate our observing and data-reduction strategy with on-sky observations; first in the context of brown dwarf follow-up on the auxiliary telescopes with HD 984 B, and second with the first confirmation of a substellar candidate around the star Gaia DR3 2728129004119806464. With synthetic companion injection, we demonstrate that the instrument can detect companions down to a contrast of 8 x 10(-4) (Delta K = 7.7 mag) at a separation of 35 mas, and a contrast of 3 x 10(-5) (Delta K = 11 mag) at 100 mas from a bright primary (K < 6.5), for 30 min exposure time. Conclusions. With its inner working angle and astrometric precision, GRAVITY has a unique reach in direct observation parameter space. This study demonstrates the promising synergies between GRAVITY and Gaia for the confirmation and characterization of substellar companions.

Abstract
In the GRAVITY+ project, GRAVITY is presently undergoing a series of upgrades to enhance its performance, add wide field capability and thereby expand its sky coverage. Some aspects of these improvements have already been implemented and commissioned by the end of 2021, making them accessible to the community. The augmentation of sky coverage involves increasing the maximum angular separation between the celestial science object and the fringe tracking object from the previous 2 arcseconds (limited by the field of view of the VLTI) to 20 - 30 arcseconds (constrained by atmospheric conditions during observation). Phase 1 of GRAVITY+ Wide utilizes the earlier PRIMA Differential Delay Lines to compensate for the optical path length variation between the science and fringe tracking beams throughout an observation. In phase 2, we are upgrading the existing beam compressors (BC) to integrate optical path length difference compensation directly into the BC. This modification eliminates five optical reflections per beam, thereby enhancing the optical throughput of the VLTI-GRAVITY [GRAPHICS] system and the bandwidth of the vibrational control. We will present the implementation of phase 2 and share preliminary results from our testing activities for GRAVITY+ Wide.

Abstract
We present in this proceeding the results of the test phase of the GRAVITY+ adaptive optics. This extreme AO will enable both high-dynamic range observations of faint companions (including exoplanets) thanks to a 40x40 sub-apertures wavefront control, and sensitive observations (including AGNs) thanks to the addition of a laser guide star to each UT of the VLT. This leap forward is made thanks to a mostly automated setup of the AO, including calibration of the NCPAs, that we tested in Europe on the UT+atmosphere simulator we built in Nice. We managed to reproduce in laboratory the expected performances of all the modes of the AO, including under non-optimal atmospheric or telescope alignment conditions, giving us the green light to proceed with the Assembly, Integration and Verification phase in Paranal.