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    ESA · Space telescope

    Gaia

    Built the most precise 3D map of the Milky Way, measuring positions, distances and motions of nearly two billion stars.

    CompletedScience observations ended in January 2025 and the spacecraft was retired in March 2025; data releases continue.

    Launch date

    2013-12-19

    Destination

    Sun–Earth L2

    Mission end

    2025-03-27

    Objectives

    • Astrometry of over a billion stars
    • Map the structure and history of the Milky Way

    Spacecraft

    Two telescopes feeding a billion-pixel focal plane

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Astrometric instrument
    • Photometers (BP/RP)
    • Radial Velocity Spectrometer

    Timeline

    1. 2013-12-19Launch on Soyuz–Fregat
    2. 2022-06-13Data Release 3
    3. 2025-03-27Spacecraft retired

    Major achievements

    • Distances to nearly 2 billion stars
    • Revealed the Gaia–Enceladus merger in the Milky Way's past

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.