After two productive commissioning runs, the GALAH team started its Pilot Survey with the HERMES instrument the night of 16 November, 2013. During the Pilot Survey, the team will take on science projects of a more limited scope than GALAH itself, serving to further test the instrument and its scientific capabilities. These projects include looking at stars with asteroseismic data, examining open and globular clusters, and exploring the interplay of the thin and thick disk.

The GALAH survey is scheduled to commence in earnest 7 February, 2014.