diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 33259cc38..8ab2f2917 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 
 .PHONY: help clean clean-env dev dev-http docs install bdist sdist test release check_dists \
     clean-images clean-enterprise-gateway clean-demo-base clean-kernel-images clean-enterprise-gateway \
-    clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala clean-kernel-tf-py \
+    clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-ray-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala clean-kernel-tf-py \
     clean-kernel-tf-gpu-py clean-kernel-image-puller push-images push-enterprise-gateway-demo push-demo-base \
-    push-kernel-images push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r \
+    push-kernel-images push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-ray-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r \
     push-kernel-scala push-kernel-tf-py push-kernel-tf-gpu-py push-kernel-image-puller publish helm-chart
 
 SA?=source activate
@@ -155,9 +155,9 @@ docker-images:  ## Build docker images (includes kernel-based images)
 kernel-images: ## Build kernel-based docker images
 
 # Actual working targets...
-docker-images: demo-base enterprise-gateway-demo kernel-images enterprise-gateway kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py kernel-image-puller
+docker-images: demo-base enterprise-gateway-demo kernel-images enterprise-gateway kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-ray-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py kernel-image-puller
 
-enterprise-gateway-demo kernel-images enterprise-gateway kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py kernel-image-puller:
+enterprise-gateway-demo kernel-images enterprise-gateway kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-ray-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py kernel-image-puller:
 	make WHEEL_FILE=$(WHEEL_FILE) VERSION=$(VERSION) NO_CACHE=$(NO_CACHE) TAG=$(TAG) SPARK_VERSION=$(SPARK_VERSION) MULTIARCH_BUILD=$(MULTIARCH_BUILD) TARGET_ARCH=$(TARGET_ARCH) -C etc $@
 
 demo-base:
@@ -167,14 +167,14 @@ demo-base:
 clean-images: clean-demo-base ## Remove docker images (includes kernel-based images)
 clean-kernel-images: ## Remove kernel-based images
 
-clean-images clean-enterprise-gateway-demo clean-kernel-images clean-enterprise-gateway clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala clean-kernel-tf-py clean-kernel-tf-gpu-py clean-kernel-image-puller:
+clean-images clean-enterprise-gateway-demo clean-kernel-images clean-enterprise-gateway clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-ray-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala clean-kernel-tf-py clean-kernel-tf-gpu-py clean-kernel-image-puller:
 	make WHEEL_FILE=$(WHEEL_FILE) VERSION=$(VERSION) TAG=$(TAG) -C etc $@
 
 clean-demo-base:
 	make WHEEL_FILE=$(WHEEL_FILE) VERSION=$(VERSION) TAG=$(SPARK_VERSION) -C etc $@
 
 push-images: push-demo-base
-push-images push-enterprise-gateway-demo push-kernel-images push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r push-kernel-scala push-kernel-tf-py push-kernel-tf-gpu-py push-kernel-image-puller:
+push-images push-enterprise-gateway-demo push-kernel-images push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-ray-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r push-kernel-scala push-kernel-tf-py push-kernel-tf-gpu-py push-kernel-image-puller:
 	make WHEEL_FILE=$(WHEEL_FILE) VERSION=$(VERSION) TAG=$(TAG) -C etc $@
 
 push-demo-base:
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/container.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/container.py
index 6378b633f..24ce5ee2d 100644
--- a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/container.py
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/container.py
@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ def poll(self) -> bool | None:
         # See https://github.com/jupyter-server/enterprise_gateway/issues/827
         if container_status in self.get_initial_states():
             result = None
+
+        self.log.debug(f">>> container.poll(): {container_status} --> {result}")
         return result
 
     def send_signal(self, signum: int) -> bool | None:
@@ -188,6 +190,7 @@ def shutdown_listener(self):
 
     async def confirm_remote_startup(self) -> None:
         """Confirms the container has started and returned necessary connection information."""
+        self.log.debug(">>> container.confirm_remote_startup()")
         self.log.debug("Trying to confirm kernel container startup status")
         self.start_time = RemoteProcessProxy.get_current_time()
         i = 0
@@ -197,6 +200,9 @@ async def confirm_remote_startup(self) -> None:
             await self.handle_timeout()
 
             container_status = self.get_container_status(i)
+            self.log.debug(
+                f">>> container.confirm_remote_startup() - container_status: {container_status}"
+            )
             if container_status:
                 if container_status in self.get_error_states():
                     self.log_and_raise(
@@ -204,14 +210,24 @@ async def confirm_remote_startup(self) -> None:
                         reason=f"Error starting kernel container; status: '{container_status}'.",
                     )
                 else:
+                    self.log.debug(
+                        f">>> container.confirm_remote_startup(): is hosted assigned => {self.assigned_host}"
+                    )
+                    self.log.debug(">>> should call receive_connection_info()")
                     if self.assigned_host:
                         ready_to_connect = await self.receive_connection_info()
+                        self.log.debug(
+                            f">>> container.confirm_remote_startup(): ready to connect => {ready_to_connect}"
+                        )
                         self.pid = (
                             0  # We won't send process signals for kubernetes lifecycle management
                         )
                         self.pgid = 0
             else:
                 self.detect_launch_failure()
+        self.log.debug(
+            f">>> container.confirm_remote_startup(): ready to connect => {ready_to_connect}"
+        )
 
     def get_process_info(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Captures the base information necessary for kernel persistence relative to containers."""
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/crd.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/crd.py
index 54f24b5ca..4962c8cc1 100644
--- a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/crd.py
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/crd.py
@@ -74,11 +74,15 @@ def get_container_status(self, iteration: int | None) -> str:
             )
 
             if custom_resource:
-                application_state = custom_resource['status']['applicationState']['state'].lower()
+                application_state = custom_resource.get("status", {}).get("state", "").lower()
+
+                self.log.debug(f">>> crd.get_container_status: {application_state}")
 
                 if application_state in self.get_error_states():
                     exception_text = self._get_exception_text(
-                        custom_resource['status']['applicationState']['errorMessage']
+                        custom_resource.get("status", {})
+                        .get("applicationState", {})
+                        .get("errorMessage")
                     )
                     error_message = (
                         f"CRD submission for kernel {self.kernel_id} failed: {exception_text}"
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/k8s.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/k8s.py
index ea4a1822b..14404df2a 100644
--- a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/k8s.py
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/k8s.py
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ def get_container_status(self, iteration: int | None) -> str:
             self.container_name = pod_info.metadata.name
             if pod_info.status:
                 pod_status = pod_info.status.phase.lower()
+                self.log.debug(f">>> k8s.get_container_status: {pod_status}")
                 if pod_status == "running" and not self.assigned_host:
                     # Pod is running, capture IP
                     self.assigned_ip = pod_info.status.pod_ip
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ def get_container_status(self, iteration: int | None) -> str:
                 f"Status: '{pod_status}', Pod IP: '{self.assigned_ip}', KernelID: '{self.kernel_id}'"
             )
 
+        self.log.debug(f">>> k8s.get_container_status: {pod_status}")
         return pod_status
 
     def delete_managed_object(self, termination_stati: list[str]) -> bool:
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/processproxy.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/processproxy.py
index 405adfbca..22e01c486 100644
--- a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/processproxy.py
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/processproxy.py
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ def register_event(self, kernel_id: str) -> None:
 
     async def get_connection_info(self, kernel_id: str) -> dict:
         """Performs a timeout wait on the event, returning the conenction information on completion."""
+        self.log.debug(f">>> processproxy.get_connection_info() for kernel_id {kernel_id}")
         await asyncio.wait_for(self._response_registry[kernel_id].wait(), connection_interval)
         return self._response_registry.pop(kernel_id).response
 
@@ -1300,9 +1301,13 @@ async def receive_connection_info(self) -> bool:
         """
         # Polls the socket using accept.  When data is found, returns ready indicator and encrypted data.
         ready_to_connect = False
-
+        self.log.debug(
+            f">>> processproxy.receive_connection_info(): initializing ready to connect as {ready_to_connect}"
+        )
         try:
             connect_info = await self.response_manager.get_connection_info(self.kernel_id)
+            self.log.debug(">>> processproxy.receive_connection_info(): connect info received")
+            self.log.debug(connect_info)
             self._setup_connection_info(connect_info)
             ready_to_connect = True
         except Exception as e:
@@ -1320,6 +1325,9 @@ async def receive_connection_info(self) -> bool:
                 self.kill()
                 self.log_and_raise(http_status_code=500, reason=error_message)
 
+        self.log.debug(
+            f">>> processproxy.receive_connection_info(): returning ready to connect {ready_to_connect}"
+        )
         return ready_to_connect
 
     def _setup_connection_info(self, connect_info: dict) -> None:
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/ray_operator.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/ray_operator.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..41cea3c6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/processproxies/ray_operator.py
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+"""A Ray operator process proxy."""
+
+# Internal implementation at Apple
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import Any
+
+from kubernetes import client
+
+from ..kernels.remotemanager import RemoteKernelManager
+from .k8s import KubernetesProcessProxy
+
+
+class RayOperatorProcessProxy(KubernetesProcessProxy):
+    """Ray operator process proxy."""
+
+    object_kind = "RayCluster"
+
+    def __init__(self, kernel_manager: RemoteKernelManager, proxy_config: dict):
+        """Initialize the proxy."""
+        super().__init__(kernel_manager, proxy_config)
+        self.group = "ray.io"
+        self.version = "v1alpha1"
+        self.plural = "rayclusters"
+
+    async def launch_process(
+        self, kernel_cmd: str, **kwargs: dict[str, Any] | None
+    ) -> RayOperatorProcessProxy:
+        """Launch the process for a kernel."""
+        self.kernel_resource_name = self._determine_kernel_pod_name(**kwargs)
+        kwargs["env"]["KERNEL_RESOURCE_NAME"] = self.kernel_resource_name
+        kwargs["env"]["KERNEL_CRD_GROUP"] = self.group
+        kwargs["env"]["KERNEL_CRD_VERSION"] = self.version
+        kwargs["env"]["KERNEL_CRD_PLURAL"] = self.plural
+
+        await super().launch_process(kernel_cmd, **kwargs)
+        return self
+
+    def get_container_status(self, iteration: int | None) -> str:
+        """Determines submitted Ray application status and returns unified pod state.
+
+        This method returns the pod status (not CRD status) to maintain compatibility
+        with the base class lifecycle management. The RayCluster CRD state is checked
+        first to ensure the cluster is healthy, but we return pod states that the
+        base class understands: 'pending', 'running', 'failed', etc.
+        """
+        application_state = None
+        head_pod_status = None
+        application_state = self._get_application_state()
+        if application_state:
+            self.log.debug(
+                f">>> ray_operator.get_container_status: application_state {application_state}"
+            )
+
+        # Check for CRD-level errors first
+        if application_state in self.get_error_states():
+            error_message = (
+                f"CRD submission for kernel {self.kernel_id} failed with state: {application_state}"
+            )
+            self.log.error(error_message)
+            return "failed"  # Return pod state, not CRD state
+
+        # If CRD is not ready yet, return "pending" to indicate still launching
+        if application_state != "ready":
+            self.log.debug(
+                f">>> ray_operator.get_container_status: CRD not ready yet, state={application_state}"
+            )
+            return "pending"
+
+        # CRD is ready, now check the actual pod status
+        kernel_label_selector = "kernel_id=" + self.kernel_id + ",component=kernel"
+        ret = None
+        try:
+            ret = client.CoreV1Api().list_namespaced_pod(
+                namespace=self.kernel_namespace, label_selector=kernel_label_selector
+            )
+        except client.rest.ApiException as e:
+            if e.status == 404:
+                self.log.debug("Resetting cluster connection info as cluster deleted")
+                self._reset_connection_info()
+            return None
+
+        if ret and ret.items:
+            pod_info = ret.items[0]
+            self.log.debug(
+                f"Cluster status {application_state}, pod status {pod_info.status.phase.lower()}"
+            )
+            if pod_info.status:
+                head_pod_status = pod_info.status.phase.lower()
+                self.log.debug(
+                    f">>> ray_operator.get_container_status: pod_status {head_pod_status}"
+                )
+                if head_pod_status == "running":
+                    self.log.debug(
+                        f"Pod Info name:{pod_info.metadata.name}, pod ip {pod_info.status.pod_ip}, host {self.container_name}"
+                    )
+                    self.container_name = pod_info.metadata.name
+                    self.assigned_ip = pod_info.status.pod_ip
+                    self.assigned_host = self.container_name
+                    self.assigned_node_ip = pod_info.status.host_ip
+
+        # only log if iteration is not None (otherwise poll() is too noisy)
+        # check for running state to avoid double logging with superclass
+        if iteration and head_pod_status != 'running':
+            self.log.debug(
+                f"{iteration}: Waiting from CRD status from resource manager {self.object_kind.lower()} in "
+                f"namespace '{self.kernel_namespace}'. Name: '{self.kernel_resource_name}', "
+                f"Status: CRD='{application_state}', Pod='{head_pod_status}', KernelID: '{self.kernel_id}'"
+            )
+
+        # KEY FIX: Return pod status (not CRD state) so base class poll() works correctly
+        final_status = head_pod_status if head_pod_status else "pending"
+        self.log.debug(
+            f">>> ray_operator.get_container_status: returning pod_status={final_status} "
+            f"(CRD state was {application_state})"
+        )
+        return final_status
+
+    def delete_managed_object(self, termination_stati: list[str]) -> bool:
+        """Deletes the object managed by this process-proxy
+
+        A return value of True indicates the object is considered deleted,
+        otherwise a False or None value is returned.
+
+        Note: the caller is responsible for handling exceptions.
+        """
+        delete_status = client.CustomObjectsApi().delete_namespaced_custom_object(
+            self.group,
+            self.version,
+            self.kernel_namespace,
+            self.plural,
+            self.kernel_resource_name,
+            grace_period_seconds=0,
+            propagation_policy="Background",
+        )
+
+        result = delete_status and delete_status.get("status", None) in termination_stati
+        if result:
+            self._reset_connection_info()
+        return result
+
+    def get_initial_states(self) -> set:
+        """Return list of states indicating container is starting (includes running).
+
+        Note: We return pod states (not CRD states) to maintain compatibility
+        with the base class poll() implementation, which checks if the status
+        returned by get_container_status() is in this set.
+        """
+        return ["pending", "running"]
+
+    def get_error_states(self) -> set:
+        """Return list of states indicating RayCluster has failed."""
+        # Ray doesn't typically use "failed" state, but we'll include common error states
+        return {"failed", "error", "unhealthy"}
+
+    def _get_ray_cluster_status(self) -> dict:
+        try:
+            return client.CustomObjectsApi().get_namespaced_custom_object(
+                self.group,
+                self.version,
+                self.kernel_namespace,
+                self.plural,
+                self.kernel_resource_name,
+            )
+        except client.rest.ApiException as e:
+            if e.status == 404:
+                self.log.debug("Resetting cluster connection info as cluster deleted")
+                self._reset_connection_info()
+            return None
+
+    def _get_application_state(self):
+        custom_resource = self._get_ray_cluster_status()
+
+        if custom_resource is None:
+            return None
+
+        if 'status' not in custom_resource or 'state' not in custom_resource['status']:
+            return None
+
+        return custom_resource['status']['state'].lower()
+
+    def _get_pod_status(self) -> str:
+        """Get the current status of the kernel pod.
+        Returns
+        -------
+        str
+            The pod status in lowercase (e.g., 'pending', 'running', 'failed', 'unknown').
+        """
+        pod_status = "unknown"
+        kernel_label_selector = "kernel_id=" + self.kernel_id + ",component=kernel"
+        ret = client.CoreV1Api().list_namespaced_pod(
+            namespace=self.kernel_namespace, label_selector=kernel_label_selector
+        )
+        if ret and ret.items:
+            pod_info = ret.items[0]
+            self.container_name = pod_info.metadata.name
+            if pod_info.status:
+                pod_status = pod_info.status.phase.lower()
+                self.log.debug(f">>> k8s._get_pod_status: {pod_status}")
+
+        return pod_status
+
+    def _reset_connection_info(self):
+        """Reset all connection-related attributes to their initial state.
+        This is typically called when a cluster is deleted or connection is lost.
+        """
+
+        self.assigned_host = None
+        self.container_name = ""
+        self.assigned_node_ip = None
+        self.assigned_ip = None
diff --git a/enterprise_gateway/services/sessions/kernelsessionmanager.py b/enterprise_gateway/services/sessions/kernelsessionmanager.py
index f4e73ca93..f44622bce 100644
--- a/enterprise_gateway/services/sessions/kernelsessionmanager.py
+++ b/enterprise_gateway/services/sessions/kernelsessionmanager.py
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ def create_session(self, kernel_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
             Information used for the launch of the kernel
 
         """
+        self.log.debug(f">>> Creating new session for kernel {kernel_id}")
         km = self.kernel_manager.get_kernel(kernel_id)
 
         # Compose the kernel_session entry
@@ -103,11 +104,14 @@ def create_session(self, kernel_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
         kernel_session["kernel_name"] = km.kernel_name
 
         # Build the inner dictionaries: connection_info, process_proxy and add to kernel_session
+        self.log.debug(f">>> Getting connection info for kernel {kernel_id}")
         kernel_session["connection_info"] = km.get_connection_info()
         kernel_session["launch_args"] = kwargs.copy()
+        self.log.debug(f">>> Getting process info for kernel {kernel_id}")
         kernel_session["process_info"] = (
             km.process_proxy.get_process_info() if km.process_proxy else {}
         )
+        self.log.debug(f">>> Saving session {kernel_session}")
         self._save_session(kernel_id, kernel_session)
 
     def refresh_session(self, kernel_id: str) -> None:
diff --git a/etc/Makefile b/etc/Makefile
index 08b54ecb6..9a23c7718 100644
--- a/etc/Makefile
+++ b/etc/Makefile
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ TOREE_LAUNCHER_FILES:=$(shell find kernel-launchers/scala/toree-launcher/src -ty
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/{python,R,scala,python_tf,python_tf_gpu}_kubernetes | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/kubernetes/*
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/spark_{python,R,scala}_kubernetes | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/kubernetes/*
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/{python,R,scala,python_tf,python_tf_gpu}_docker | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/docker/*
-	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/spark_python_operator | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/operators/*
         # Populate kernel resources.  Because tensorflow is also python, it should be last.
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/*R* | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-resources/ir/*
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/*scala* | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-resources/apache_toree/*
@@ -66,6 +65,12 @@ TOREE_LAUNCHER_FILES:=$(shell find kernel-launchers/scala/toree-launcher/src -ty
 	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/*tf* | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-resources/tensorflow/*
     # Perform the copy again to enable local, per-kernel, overrides
 	cp -r kernelspecs ../build
+	# Operator kernelspecs get launcher files after the override to preserve scripts
+	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/spark_python_operator | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/operators/*
+	@rm -f ../build/kernelspecs/spark_python_operator/scripts/ray.io-v1alpha1.yaml.j2
+	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-launchers/operators/*
+	@rm -f ../build/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator/scripts/sparkoperator.k8s.io-v1beta2.yaml.j2
+	@echo ../build/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator | xargs -t -n 1 cp -r kernel-resources/ray/*
 	@(cd ../build/kernelspecs; find . -name 'kernel.json' -print0 | xargs -0 sed -i.bak "s/VERSION/$(TAG)/g"; find . -name *.bak -print0 | xargs -0 rm -f)
 	@mkdir -p ../dist
 
@@ -105,31 +110,31 @@ kernel_image_files: ../build/kernel_image_files
 # Docker image build section ***********************************************
 #
 
-KERNEL_IMAGES := kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py
+KERNEL_IMAGES := kernel-py kernel-spark-py kernel-ray-py kernel-r kernel-spark-r kernel-scala kernel-tf-py kernel-tf-gpu-py
 DOCKER_IMAGES := demo-base enterprise-gateway-demo enterprise-gateway kernel-image-puller $(KERNEL_IMAGES)
 PUSHED_IMAGES := demo-base enterprise-gateway-demo enterprise-gateway kernel-image-puller $(KERNEL_IMAGES)
 
 docker-images: $(DOCKER_IMAGES)
 kernel-images: $(KERNEL_IMAGES)
 
-push-images: push-enterprise-gateway-demo push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-tf-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r push-kernel-scala push-kernel-image-puller
+push-images: push-enterprise-gateway-demo push-enterprise-gateway push-kernel-py push-kernel-spark-py push-kernel-ray-py push-kernel-tf-py push-kernel-r push-kernel-spark-r push-kernel-scala push-kernel-image-puller
 
 clean-images: clean-enterprise-gateway-demo clean-demo-base clean-enterprise-gateway clean-kernel-image-puller clean-kernel-images
-clean-kernel-images: clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-tf-py clean-kernel-tf-gpu-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala
+clean-kernel-images: clean-kernel-py clean-kernel-spark-py clean-kernel-ray-py clean-kernel-tf-py clean-kernel-tf-gpu-py clean-kernel-r clean-kernel-spark-r clean-kernel-scala
 
 # Extra dependencies for each docker image...
 DEPENDS_demo-base:
 DEPENDS_enterprise-gateway-demo: $(FILE_kernelspecs_all)
 DEPENDS_enterprise-gateway: $(FILE_kernelspecs_all)
 DEPENDS_kernel-image-puller:
-DEPENDS_kernel-py DEPENDS_kernel-spark-py DEPENDS_kernel-r DEPENDS_kernel-spark-r DEPENDS_kernel-scala DEPENDS_kernel-tf-py DEPENDS_kernel-tf-gpu-py: $(FILE_kernelspecs_kubernetes) $(FILE_kernelspecs_docker)
+DEPENDS_kernel-py DEPENDS_kernel-spark-py DEPENDS_kernel-ray-py DEPENDS_kernel-r DEPENDS_kernel-spark-r DEPENDS_kernel-scala DEPENDS_kernel-tf-py DEPENDS_kernel-tf-gpu-py: $(FILE_kernelspecs_kubernetes) $(FILE_kernelspecs_docker)
 
 # Extra targets for each docker image...
 TARGETS_demo-base:
 TARGETS_kernel-image-puller:
 TARGETS_enterprise-gateway TARGETS_enterprise-gateway-demo: kernelspecs
 	@make -C .. bdist
-TARGETS_kernel-py TARGETS_kernel-spark-py TARGETS_kernel-r TARGETS_kernel-spark-r TARGETS_kernel-scala TARGETS_kernel-tf-py TARGETS_kernel-tf-gpu-py: kernelspecs
+TARGETS_kernel-py TARGETS_kernel-spark-py TARGETS_kernel-ray-py TARGETS_kernel-r TARGETS_kernel-spark-r TARGETS_kernel-scala TARGETS_kernel-tf-py TARGETS_kernel-tf-gpu-py: kernelspecs
 
 # Extra files for each docker image...
 FILES_demo-base :=
@@ -138,6 +143,7 @@ FILES_enterprise-gateway-demo := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernelspecs-
 FILES_enterprise-gateway := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files* ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernelspecs-* ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway*.whl
 FILES_kernel-py := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
 FILES_kernel-spark-py := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
+FILES_kernel-ray-py := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
 FILES_kernel-tf-py := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
 FILES_kernel-tf-gpu-py := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
 FILES_kernel-r := ../dist/jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*
diff --git a/etc/docker/demo-base/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/demo-base/Dockerfile
index 9b484c507..47c3aa8a4 100644
--- a/etc/docker/demo-base/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/demo-base/Dockerfile
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ ENV SHELL=/bin/bash \
 ENV HOME=/home/$NB_USER \
     PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$ANACONDA_HOME/bin:$HADOOP_HOME/bin:$SPARK_HOME/bin:$PATH
 
-ENV SPARK_VER $SPARK_VERSION
-ENV HADOOP_VER 3.3.1
+ENV SPARK_VER=$SPARK_VERSION
+ENV HADOOP_VER=3.3.1
 
 # INSTALL / DOWNLOAD ALL NEEDED PACKAGES
 RUN dpkg --purge --force-depends ca-certificates-java \
diff --git a/etc/docker/enterprise-gateway/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/enterprise-gateway/Dockerfile
index 08b640771..5341fe714 100644
--- a/etc/docker/enterprise-gateway/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/enterprise-gateway/Dockerfile
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ FROM $BASE_CONTAINER
 
 ARG SPARK_VERSION
 
-ENV SPARK_VER $SPARK_VERSION
-ENV SPARK_HOME /opt/spark
+ENV SPARK_VER=$SPARK_VERSION
+ENV SPARK_HOME=/opt/spark
 
 
 RUN mamba install --quiet --yes \
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ RUN mamba install --quiet --yes \
 
 USER root
 
-RUN apt update && apt install -yq curl openjdk-8-jdk
+RUN apt update && apt install -yq curl openjdk-8-jdk iputils-ping telnet netcat-openbsd net-tools iproute2 dnsutils curl
 
-ENV JAVA_HOME /usr/lib/jvm/java
+ENV JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java
 RUN ln -s $(readlink -f /usr/bin/javac | sed "s:/bin/javac::") ${JAVA_HOME}
 
 # Download and install Spark
@@ -53,6 +53,6 @@ USER jovyan
 
 CMD ["/usr/local/bin/start-enterprise-gateway.sh"]
 
-EXPOSE 8888
+EXPOSE 8888 8877
 
 WORKDIR /usr/local/bin
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-image-puller/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-image-puller/Dockerfile
index 271e60df5..1683aae70 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-image-puller/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-image-puller/Dockerfile
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install cri-tools
 
 RUN echo $PATH
 # The following environment variables are supported - defaults provided.  Override as needed.
-ENV KIP_GATEWAY_HOST http://localhost:8888
-ENV KIP_INTERVAL 300
-ENV KIP_LOG_LEVEL INFO
-ENV KIP_NUM_PULLERS 2
-ENV KIP_NUM_RETRIES 3
-ENV KIP_PULL_POLICY 'IfNotPresent'
+ENV KIP_GATEWAY_HOST=http://localhost:8888
+ENV KIP_INTERVAL=300
+ENV KIP_LOG_LEVEL=INFO
+ENV KIP_NUM_PULLERS=2
+ENV KIP_NUM_RETRIES=3
+ENV KIP_PULL_POLICY='IfNotPresent'
 
 CMD [ "python", "./kernel_image_puller.py" ]
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-py/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-py/Dockerfile
index e967509bb..3f8a6fed1 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-py/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-py/Dockerfile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ FROM $BASE_CONTAINER
 ENV PATH=$PATH:$CONDA_DIR/bin
 
 # Add debugger support
-RUN pip install --upgrade ipykernel
+RUN pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir ipykernel
 
 RUN conda install --quiet --yes \
     cffi \
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ RUN chown jovyan:users /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh && \
 
 USER jovyan
 
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE python
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=python
 
 # Disble healthcheck inherited from notebook image
 HEALTHCHECK NONE
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-r/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-r/Dockerfile
index c615674d5..be8b376df 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-r/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-r/Dockerfile
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ RUN chown jovyan:users /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh && \
 
 USER jovyan
 
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE R
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=R
 
 # Disble healthcheck inherited from notebook image
 HEALTHCHECK NONE
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cb3dad0bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Ray 2.50.0 with Python 3.11
+# rayproject/ray:2.50.0.714bc0-extra-py311-cpu
+ARG BASE_CONTAINER=rayproject/ray:2.50.0.714bc0-extra-py311-cpu
+FROM $BASE_CONTAINER
+
+# Add debugger support
+RUN pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir ipykernel
+
+RUN pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir --upgrade \
+    "jupyter_client>=6.1,<7" \
+    "jupyter_server>=1.7,<2" \
+    "pyzmq>=20.0.0,<25" \
+    "ray[data]==2.50.0" \
+    ipykernel \
+    cffi \
+    future \
+    pycryptodomex
+
+ADD jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*.tar.gz /usr/local/bin/
+
+USER root
+
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -yq --no-install-recommends \
+    libkrb5-dev \
+    iputils-ping \
+    telnet \
+    netcat-openbsd \
+    net-tools \
+    iproute2 \
+    dnsutils \
+    curl \
+    less \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Set up permissions for ray user (Ray base image uses 'ray' user)
+RUN chown ray:users /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh && \
+    chmod 0755 /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh && \
+    chown -R ray:users /usr/local/bin/kernel-launchers
+
+USER ray
+
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=python
+ENV RAY_HOME=/home/ray
+
+WORKDIR /home/ray
+
+# Disble healthcheck inherited from notebook image
+HEALTHCHECK NONE
+
+
+CMD /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/README.md b/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..da9a403ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-ray-py/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+This image enables the use of an IPython kernel launched from [Jupyter Enterprise Gateway](https://jupyter-enterprise-gateway.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) within a Kubernetes cluster. It is built on the base image [rayproject/ray:2.50.0.714bc0-extra-py311-cpu](https://hub.docker.com/r/rayproject/ray/), and provides [Ray 2.50.0](https://docs.ray.io/) for distributed Python computing.
+
+# What it Gives You
+
+- IPython kernel support (with debugger)
+- Ray 2.50.0 for distributed computing
+- Python 3.11 environment
+- Ray on Kubernetes support from within a Jupyter Notebook
+
+# Basic Use
+
+Deploy [enterprise-gateway](https://hub.docker.com/r/elyra/enterprise-gateway/) per its instructions and configured to the appropriate environment.
+
+Launch a gateway-enabled Jupyter Notebook application against the Enterprise Gateway instance and pick the Ray kernel to use in your notebook.
+
+For more information, check our [repo](https://github.com/jupyter-server/enterprise_gateway) and [docs](https://jupyter-enterprise-gateway.readthedocs.io/en/latest/).
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-scala/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-scala/Dockerfile
index d3146da48..e26a91d46 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-scala/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-scala/Dockerfile
@@ -17,5 +17,5 @@ RUN adduser --system -uid 1000 jovyan --ingroup users && \
     chown -R jovyan:users /usr/local/bin/kernel-launchers
 
 USER jovyan
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE scala
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=scala
 CMD /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-spark-py/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-spark-py/Dockerfile
index ed6f1a3d0..86ac97193 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-spark-py/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-spark-py/Dockerfile
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ FROM $BASE_CONTAINER
 
 ARG SPARK_VERSION
 
-ENV SPARK_VER $SPARK_VERSION
-ENV SPARK_HOME /opt/spark
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE python
-ENV R_LIBS_USER $R_LIBS_USER:${SPARK_HOME}/R/lib
-ENV PATH $PATH:$SPARK_HOME/bin
+ENV SPARK_VER=$SPARK_VERSION
+ENV SPARK_HOME=/opt/spark
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=python
+ENV R_LIBS_USER=$R_LIBS_USER:${SPARK_HOME}/R/lib
+ENV PATH=$PATH:$SPARK_HOME/bin
 
 USER root
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ RUN dpkg --purge --force-depends ca-certificates-java \
     libssl-dev \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
-ENV JAVA_HOME /usr/lib/jvm/java
+ENV JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java
 RUN ln -s $(readlink -f /usr/bin/javac | sed "s:/bin/javac::") ${JAVA_HOME}
 
 # Download and install Spark
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-spark-r/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-spark-r/Dockerfile
index 5e92caeaa..df1f6a0ed 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-spark-r/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-spark-r/Dockerfile
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ ARG SPARK_VERSION
 
 USER root
 
-ENV SPARK_VER $SPARK_VERSION
-ENV SPARK_HOME /opt/spark
+ENV SPARK_VER=$SPARK_VERSION
+ENV SPARK_HOME=/opt/spark
 ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=R
-ENV R_LIBS_USER $R_LIBS_USER:${R_HOME}/library:${SPARK_HOME}/R/lib
-ENV PATH $PATH:$SPARK_HOME/bin
+ENV R_LIBS_USER=$R_LIBS_USER:${R_HOME}/library:${SPARK_HOME}/R/lib
+ENV PATH=$PATH:$SPARK_HOME/bin
 
 RUN dpkg --purge --force-depends ca-certificates-java \
     && apt-get update \
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ RUN dpkg --purge --force-depends ca-certificates-java \
     libssl-dev \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
-ENV JAVA_HOME /usr/lib/jvm/java
+ENV JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java
 RUN ln -s $(readlink -f /usr/bin/javac | sed "s:/bin/javac::") ${JAVA_HOME}
 
 # Download and install Spark
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-tf-gpu-py/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-tf-gpu-py/Dockerfile
index d6b6c5d27..354465299 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-tf-gpu-py/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-tf-gpu-py/Dockerfile
@@ -27,5 +27,5 @@ RUN adduser --system --uid 1000 --gid 100 jovyan && \
 
 
 USER jovyan
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE python
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=python
 CMD /usr/local/bin/bootstrap-kernel.sh
diff --git a/etc/docker/kernel-tf-py/Dockerfile b/etc/docker/kernel-tf-py/Dockerfile
index b6b7e225e..783faa594 100644
--- a/etc/docker/kernel-tf-py/Dockerfile
+++ b/etc/docker/kernel-tf-py/Dockerfile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ARG BASE_CONTAINER=jupyter/tensorflow-notebook:2023-10-20
 
 FROM $BASE_CONTAINER
 
-ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE python
+ENV KERNEL_LANGUAGE=python
 
 ADD jupyter_enterprise_gateway_kernel_image_files*.tar.gz /usr/local/bin/
 
diff --git a/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/launch_custom_resource.py b/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/launch_custom_resource.py
index 371d18b2d..9a6e0379a 100644
--- a/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/launch_custom_resource.py
+++ b/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/launch_custom_resource.py
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ def launch_custom_resource_kernel(
 
     kernel_crd_template = keywords["kernel_crd_group"] + "-" + keywords["kernel_crd_version"]
     custom_resource_yaml = generate_kernel_custom_resource_yaml(kernel_crd_template, keywords)
+    print(f">>> Generated YAML \n{custom_resource_yaml}")
 
     kernel_namespace = keywords["kernel_namespace"]
     group = keywords["kernel_crd_group"]
diff --git a/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/ray.io-v1alpha1.yaml.j2 b/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/ray.io-v1alpha1.yaml.j2
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28cd9333e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/kernel-launchers/operators/scripts/ray.io-v1alpha1.yaml.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+apiVersion: ray.io/v1alpha1
+kind: RayCluster
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    controller-tools.k8s.io: "1.0"
+    ray.io/cluster-name: "{{ kernel_resource_name }}"
+  annotations:
+    ray.io/ft-enabled: "false"  # Disable GCS FT for faster startup
+  name: {{ kernel_resource_name }}
+spec:
+    enableInTreeAutoscaling: true
+    autoscalerOptions:
+      upscalingMode: Aggressive
+      idleTimeoutSeconds: 3600
+      imagePullPolicy: Always
+      resources:
+        limits:
+          cpu: 1
+          memory: "1Gi"
+        requests:
+          cpu: 1
+          memory: "1Gi"
+##########################################
+## HEAD Node group spec
+##########################################
+    headGroupSpec:
+      serviceType: ClusterIP # optional
+      # the following params are used to complete the ray start: ray start --head --block --port=6379 ...
+      rayStartParams:
+        disable-usage-stats: 'true'
+        dashboard-host: '0.0.0.0'
+        block: 'true'
+      template:
+        metadata:
+          labels:
+            kernel_id: "{{ kernel_id }}"
+            app: enterprise-gateway
+            component: kernel
+          annotations:
+            cluster-autoscaler.kubernetes.io/safe-to-evict: "false"
+        spec:
+          restartPolicy: OnFailure
+          serviceAccountName: "{{ kernel_service_account_name }}"
+#          nodeSelector:
+#            node.kubernetes.io/instance-type: m5d.8xlarge
+          containers:
+          # The Ray head container
+          - name: ray-head
+            image: {{ kernel_image }}
+            imagePullPolicy: Always
+            securityContext:
+              allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+              runAsUser: 0
+            resources:
+              limits:
+                cpu: {{ kernel_head_num_cpu_limit | default(2)}}
+                memory: {{ kernel_head_memory_limit | default("4Gi")}}
+              requests:
+                cpu: {{ kernel_head_num_cpu_request | default(2)}}
+                memory: {{ kernel_head_memory_request | default("4Gi")}}
+            ports:
+            - containerPort: 6379
+              name: gcs
+            - containerPort: 8000
+              name: serve
+            - containerPort: 8265
+              name: dashboard
+            - containerPort: 10001
+              name: client
+            - containerPort: 44217
+              name: as-metrics # autoscaler
+            - containerPort: 44227
+              name: dash-metrics # dashboard
+            startupProbe:
+              httpGet:
+                path: /
+                port: 8265
+              initialDelaySeconds: 15
+              periodSeconds: 5
+              timeoutSeconds: 5
+              failureThreshold: 24
+              successThreshold: 1
+            readinessProbe:
+              httpGet:
+                path: /
+                port: 8265
+              initialDelaySeconds: 0
+              periodSeconds: 10
+              timeoutSeconds: 3
+              failureThreshold: 3
+              successThreshold: 1
+            livenessProbe:
+              httpGet:
+                path: /
+                port: 8265
+              initialDelaySeconds: 30
+              periodSeconds: 20
+              timeoutSeconds: 5
+              failureThreshold: 3
+              successThreshold: 1
+          - name: ray-kernel
+            image: {{ kernel_image }}
+            imagePullPolicy: Always
+            securityContext:
+              allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+              runAsUser: 0
+            env:
+              - name: RAY_ADDRESS
+                value: "127.0.0.1:6379"
+              - name: RAY_PORT
+                value: "6379"
+              - name: SERVE_URI
+                value: "{{ kernel_serve_url }}"
+              - name: BUILD_URI
+                value: "{{ kernel_build_url }}"
+              - name: EG_LOG_LEVEL
+                value: "0"
+#              - name: PIP_INDEX_URL
+#                value: https://pypi.org
+            command:
+              - "/bin/sh"
+              - "-c"
+              - "python /usr/local/bin/kernel-launchers/python/scripts/launch_ipykernel.py --kernel-id {{ kernel_id }} --response-address {{ eg_response_address }} --port-range {{ eg_port_range }} --public-key {{ eg_public_key }}"
+##########################################
+## CPU Workers group specs
+##########################################
+    workerGroupSpecs:
+    - replicas: 0
+      minReplicas: 0
+      maxReplicas:  {{ kernel_num_cpu_worker or 1 }}
+      groupName: cpu-group
+      rayStartParams:
+        block: 'true'
+      template:
+        spec:
+          serviceAccountName: "{{ kernel_service_account_name }}"
+#          nodeSelector:
+#            node.kubernetes.io/instance-type: {{ kernel_cpu_instance_type | default("m5d.8xlarge")}}
+          initContainers:
+          - name: init
+            image: docker.com/busybox:1.28
+            command: ['sh', '-c', "until nslookup $RAY_IP.$(cat /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/namespace).svc.cluster.local; do echo waiting for K8s Service $RAY_IP; sleep 2; done"]
+          containers:
+          - name: ray-cpu-worker
+            image: {{ kernel_image }}
+            imagePullPolicy: Always
+#            env:
+#              - name: PIP_INDEX_URL
+#                value: https://pypi.org
+            resources:
+              limits:
+                cpu: {{ kernel_cpu_worker_num_cpu_limit | default(1)}}
+                memory: {{ kernel_cpu_worker_num_memory_limit | default("1Gi")}}
+              requests:
+                cpu: {{ kernel_cpu_worker_num_cpu_request | default("500m")}}
+                memory: {{ kernel_cpu_worker_num_memory_request | default("1Gi")}}
+#            volumeMounts:
+#            - name: ray-logs
+#              mountPath: /tmp/ray
+            securityContext:
+              allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+              runAsUser: 0
+ #         volumes:
+ #           - name: ray-logs
+ #             hostPath:
+ #               path: "/mnt/data"
+##########################################
+## GPU Workers node groups
+##########################################
+#    - replicas: 0
+#      minReplicas:  0
+#      maxReplicas: {{ kernel_num_gpu_worker or 0 }}
+#      groupName: gpu-group
+#      rayStartParams:
+#        block: 'true'
+#      template:
+#        spec:
+#          serviceAccountName: "{{ kernel_service_account_name }}"
+##          nodeSelector:
+##            node.kubernetes.io/instance-type: {{ kernel_gpu_instance_type | default("g5.4xlarge")}}
+#          initContainers:
+#          - name: init
+#            image: docker.com/busybox:1.28
+#            command: ['sh', '-c', "until nslookup $RAY_IP.$(cat /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/namespace).svc.cluster.local; do echo waiting for K8s Service $RAY_IP; sleep 2; done"]
+#          containers:
+#          - name: ray-gpu-worker
+#            image: {{ kernel_image }}
+#            imagePullPolicy: Always
+#            env:
+#              - name: PIP_INDEX_URL
+#                value: https://pypi.org
+#            resources:
+#              limits:
+#                cpu: {{ kernel_gpu_worker_num_cpu_limit | default(1)}}
+#                memory: {{ kernel_gpu_worker_num_memory_limit | default("1Gi")}}
+#                nvidia.com/gpu: {{ kernel_gpu_worker_num_gpu | default(0)}}
+#              requests:
+#                cpu: {{kernel_gpu_worker_num_cpu_request | default(0)}}
+#                memory: {{ kernel_gpu_worker_num_memory_request | default("512Mi")}}
+#                nvidia.com/gpu:  {{ kernel_gpu_worker_num_gpu | default(0)}}
+#            securityContext:
+#              allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+#              runAsUser: 0
diff --git a/etc/kernel-resources/ray/logo-64x64.png b/etc/kernel-resources/ray/logo-64x64.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9917a4c0d
Binary files /dev/null and b/etc/kernel-resources/ray/logo-64x64.png differ
diff --git a/etc/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator/kernel.json b/etc/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator/kernel.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..129c5ec7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/kernelspecs/ray_python_operator/kernel.json
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+{
+  "language": "python",
+  "display_name": "Ray Operator (Python)",
+  "metadata": {
+    "process_proxy": {
+      "class_name": "enterprise_gateway.services.processproxies.ray_operator.RayOperatorProcessProxy",
+      "config": {
+        "image_name": "lresende/kernel-ray-py:VERSION",
+        "executor_image_name": "lresende/kernel-ray-py:VERSION"
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "argv": [
+    "python",
+    "/usr/local/share/jupyter/kernels/ray_python_operator/scripts/launch_custom_resource.py",
+    "--RemoteProcessProxy.kernel-id",
+    "{kernel_id}",
+    "--RemoteProcessProxy.port-range",
+    "{port_range}",
+    "--RemoteProcessProxy.response-address",
+    "{response_address}",
+    "--RemoteProcessProxy.public-key",
+    "{public_key}"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/deployment.yaml b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/deployment.yaml
index 5edef9bf4..03e676965 100644
--- a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ spec:
           value: !!str {{ .Values.kernel.launchTimeout }}
         - name: EG_KERNEL_INFO_TIMEOUT
           value: !!str {{ .Values.kernel.infoTimeout }}
+        - name: EG_REQUEST_TIMEOUT
+          value: !!str {{ .Values.kernel.requestTimeout }}
         - name: EG_ALLOWED_KERNELS
           value: {{ toJson .Values.kernel.allowedKernels | squote }}
         - name: EG_DEFAULT_KERNEL_NAME
diff --git a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/eg-clusterrole.yaml b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/eg-clusterrole.yaml
index 11a0abac5..be06575fb 100644
--- a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/eg-clusterrole.yaml
+++ b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/templates/eg-clusterrole.yaml
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ rules:
   - apiGroups: ["sparkoperator.k8s.io"]
     resources: ["sparkapplications", "sparkapplications/status", "scheduledsparkapplications", "scheduledsparkapplications/status"]
     verbs: ["get", "watch", "list", "create", "delete"]
+  - apiGroups: ["ray.io"]
+    resources: ["rayclusters", "rayclusters/status", "rayjobs", "rayjobs/status", "rayservices", "rayservices/status"]
+    verbs: ["get", "watch", "list", "create", "delete"]
 ---
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 kind: ClusterRole
@@ -43,6 +46,6 @@ rules:
     resources: ["configmaps"]
     verbs: ["list", "create"]
   - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["services", "persistentvolumeclaims"]
+    resources: ["services", "persistentvolumes", "persistentvolumeclaims"]
     verbs: ["list"]
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/values.yaml b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/values.yaml
index 493bb3ebf..b65c95be1 100644
--- a/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/values.yaml
+++ b/etc/kubernetes/helm/enterprise-gateway/values.yaml
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ kernel:
   shareGatewayNamespace: false
   # Timeout for kernel launching in seconds.
   launchTimeout: 60
+  infoTimeout: 60
+  requestTimeout: 60
   # Timeout for an idle kernel before its culled in seconds. Default is 1 hour.
   cullIdleTimeout: 3600
   # Whether to cull idle kernels with connecting clients
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 829c6be41..424a25e1e 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ dependencies = [
   "pycryptodomex>=3.9.7",
   "pyzmq>=20.0,<25.0",  # Pyzmq 25 removes deprecated code that jupyter_client 6 uses, remove if v6 gets updated
   "requests>=2.14.2",
-  "tornado>=6.1",
+  "tornado>=6.5.2",
   "traitlets>=5.3.0",
   "watchdog>=2.1.3",
   "yarn-api-client>=1.0"