CERN bids farewell to the LHC and enters Long Shutdown 3 The Large Hadron Collider is embarking on its most ambitious upgrade yet — 29 June, 2026 Today, the Large Hadron Collider ( LHC ), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, comes to the end of an extraordinary chapter in its scientific journey. Following its  final physics run , the accelerator has been switched off to begin CERN’s Long Shutdown 3 (LS3), a major programme of maintenance, consolidation, upgrades and installation work that will prepare the Laboratory for the High-Luminosity LHC ( HiLumi LHC ), the next phase in the exploration of the fundamental laws of nature. Since circulating its first beams in September 2008, the LHC has pushed the frontiers of science and technology, becoming one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built.…