Status of the OPERA experiment

The OPERA experiment has been designed to observe an unambiguous signal of νμ → ντ oscillation in the parameter region indicated by previous experiments in the atmospheric sector. It is based on the nuclear emulsion technique to directly observe among the neutrino interaction products the track of a τ lepton produced by a ντ appeared in a νμ beam. The OPERA detector is presently under construction in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory, 732 Km away from CERN, where the CNGS νμ beam will produce its first neutrinos in 2006. The experimental technique is described and the development of the project is reported. The physics potential in measuring ντ appearance and in searching for νe appearance is discussed.