VP (or any knowledgeable mining person) - what is the process here?

Drilling started around December 4th. Is there a 'normal' number of holes to drill in a first attempt?  Is there any way to know before they start how deep they want to go?  Is there a typical size drill they would use?

Do they send samples for analysis as they come out of the ground?  Or wait until they finish the drilling schedule and then send all samples at once?

What are the options for where to send the samples?  What is a normal turnaround time (or is there such a thing)?  What does it cost to do the analysis?  With a December 4th start date, what is a reasonable timetable for results to be revealed (taking into account the longest holiday period of the year)?

Assuming we had $1M to use for this process, what all could be accomplished with that amount of money?