European XFEL Progress and Plans

The European XFEL is a multi-user X-ray laser facility. With its 1.7 km long super-conducting linear accelerator it will provide X-ray laser pulses up to 24 keV at a repetition rate of 4.5 MHz. Currently, the facility is under construction in Hamburg and Schenefeld, Germany. First lasing is expected to be possible by the end of 2016. In this presentation, an overview of the status of construction is given and plans on commissioning and user activities are presented. Technical challenges in the area of photon transport and experiments will be discussed.