In April, 2021 BVDP scientists at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein began logging 6000 -meters of donated drill cores from the Bushveld complex, marking the start of the first phase of operation. These drill cores cover the upper two-thirds of the 9 km-thick Bushveld layered intrusion and their donation by Impala Platinum Ltd. is a major contribution to the success of the project. Research projects from Germany and South Africa have been funded to commence work on the drill cores once the logging and documentation is completed. One goal is to identify breaks in the variation of density and mineral composition with height that may mark episodes of recharge into the magma chamber. Another is to develop methods to combine EDXRF (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence), hyperspectral and LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) scanning to achieve rapid 2-D quantification of mineral modes, textures and composition. Another milestone was now reached in June, 2021, with agreement by the South African Council for Geoscience to support BVDP with an in-house Bushveld research unit as well as with resources and staff at the National Core Library, where the new drill cores will be housed and about 5000 meters of existing cores, including the well-known Bellevue core, will be logged and documented for use in the project. The second operational phase of BVDP, expected to start in late 2021/early 2022, will involve drilling approximately 3000 meters to continue the profile through the lower section of the intrusion and into the floor rocks.