CONDOR stands for
COmpact Network of Detectors with Orbital Range.
 

The name is also a tribute to the Andean Condor, which is the largest bird of prey in the world and one of the few animals that inhabits the extreme altitudes in the Atacama region (nesting at above 5000 meters a.s.l).
 

In the mythology of the Andean region, the Condor is associated with the sun deity and considered to be the ruler of the upper world. Not coincidentally, the Condor is a state symbol in Chile and several other countries in South America.