Feb. 22, 2024 Starfire Optical Range's 3.5m telescope marks 30th anniversary of 'First Light' The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, marked a milestone in space exploration Feb. 10, 2024, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the “First Light” images captured by the 3.5-meter telescope at the Starfire Optical Range, or SOR, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.