Gaia
EndedLaunched in 2013·Mission completed — DR4/DR5 archives
Completed its mapping of 2 billion stars in January 2025: the Data Release 4 and 5 catalogues, even richer, will be published from 2029-2032.
Main objectives
- Map the position, motion and brightness of more than a billion stars.
- Reconstruct the structure and evolution of the Milky Way.
- Detect exoplanets, asteroids and transient objects through astrometry.
Did you know?
Measures star positions with the equivalent of telling apart a coin from 20,000 km away.
Timeline
Dec 19, 2013
Launch
Soyouz from Kourou, French Guiana.
Jul 25, 2014
Start of observations
At the L2 point.
Sep 14, 2016
Data Release 1
Catalog of 1.1 billion stars.
Jun 13, 2022
Data Release 3
Detailed data on 1.8 billion stars.
Jan 15, 2025
End of observations
Cold gas depleted after more than 10.5 years of scanning.
Mar 27, 2025
Passivation
Moved to a stable heliocentric retirement orbit, systems switched off.
Gaia
Instruments
[03]Specifications
Mass
Orbit
Precision
Telescopes
Discoveries
[08]- MilestoneMajorData Release 4: astrometry focus groupsOct 15, 2025ESA/Gaia DR4 ↗
- DiscoveryBreakthroughData Release 3 — binary stars & spectraJun 13, 2022ESA/Gaia ↗
- DiscoveryMajorClosest dormant black holeAug 06, 2024ESA/Gaia ↗
- MilestoneMajorFocus Group 5: partial catalogueApr 03, 2025ESA/Gaia DR4 ↗
- MilestoneMajorPassivation and spacecraft retirementMar 27, 2025ESA/Gaia ↗
- MilestoneMajorEnd of science observationsJan 15, 2025ESA/Gaia ↗