CaNaPy is an experimental LGS AO system in development at ESO in collaboration with ESA, Durham University CfAI, IAC, and INAF, with scientific contributions from Noelia Martinez at ANU.  The main goal of CaNaPy is to develop the hardware and software to realise a pre-corrected uplink LGS beam to provide better focus and stability at the 90 km sodium layer. CaNaPy will be used as a test bed to investigate the time differential technique for measuring the atmospheric TT from the LGS beacon, possible with the monostatic laser launch. The AO system of CaNaPy includes a pyramid WFS for the LGS beacon and a Shack-Hartmann WFS with a natural star used for providing the high order and low order AO measurements respectively. The CaNaPy system includes provisions for daytime AO operations, which means the RTC is required to perform the AO calculations at up to 2 kHz for this more demanding use case. The classical astronomical AO real time control concept has been adapted to deal with the unique challenges of providing an AO corrected uplink laser beam during atmospheric conditions of the day and night.

Here we present an overview of the work done on updating and adapting the astronomical AO RTC software DARC for CaNaPy and a summary of our recent (09/2023) commissioning results.

David Jenkins, ESO