Status of the ALPACA air shower array to explore sub-PeV gamma-ray sky in the southern hemisphere

To unveil the origin of galactic PeV cosmic rays, observation of sub-PeV gamma rays is crucial. Sub-PeV gamma-ray astronomy is established in the northern hemisphere since the discovery of the Crab nebula above 100 TeV by the TibetAS𝛾 collaboration in 2019. ALPACA is a new air shower experiment under construction in Bolivia to explore the sub-PeV gamma-ray sky in the southern hemisphere for the first time. The ALPACA array consists of 401 scintillation counters covering 82,800 m2 and underground muon detectors (MDs) covering 3,600 m$^{2}$ and will start operation in 2025. Prior to the full ALPACA, a prototype array ALPAQUITA with 97 scintillation counters is operating since 2022. The first 900 m$^{2}$ MD will be constructed soon. In this contribution, we present the performance of the ALPAQUITA including the detection of the moon’s shadow by charged cosmic rays. The plan of the first MD construction and the completion of the full ALPACA array are also presented.