The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) is a proposed space-based Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) mission to measure a black hole's photon ring, capturing interferometric signatures of strongly lensed light that has orbited a supermassive black hole.

In Grenoble, we are held a successful first meeting to kick-start "BHEX en France", that is the formation of a French community with interest in the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission.

The kick-off meeting was held in Grenoble, at the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) Saint Martin d'Heres, 300 Rue de la piscine, in the big conference room.

We gratefully acknowledge funding by the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) and by the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM).

Connecting with the international BHEX team.

We are grateful to the international experts of the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission for joining the 1st kick-off meeting:

• Peter Galison (BHEX Science Team Lead)

• Sara Issaoun (Science Operations Lead)

• Michael Johnson (BHEX Principal Investigator) will be joining online

• Alex Lupsasca (BHEX Project Scientist)

Showcasing BHEX-related science based in France.

We thank Hugo Roussille, Irène Urso, and Enzo Figueiredo for great science talks.

Bringing the BHEX-en-France community together.

Thank you all for an excellent first meeting! We look forward to the next and will be in touch soon.

Proposals for contributions to the next workshop program are most welcome and we encourage you to contact the organisers about this.

We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting!