The Simons Observatory (SO) is a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) survey experiment that consists of three 0.5 m small-aperture telescopes (SATs) and one 6 m large-aperture telescope (LAT), sited the Chilean Atacama Desert. The LAT telescope has a 2.4 m diameter cryogenic receiver (LATR) designed to house up to 13 individual optics tubes, where the initial deployment will contain 7 optics tubes with nearly 30,000 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. This telescope will produce arcminute resolution maps over half the microwave sky and measure or constrain numerous cosmological properties. Achieving our scientific goals requires unprecedented sensitivity and control over systematic effects, necessitating an equally unprecedented level of integration and testing for all aspects of the LAT. Here we summarize the design and characterization of the LAT, including the LATR, its optics tubes, and optical characterization of the first Mid-frequency (MF 93/145 GHz) optics tube.
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