GAIA
SPACECRAFT:
the mapping
of the Milky Way
Gaia was launched in December 2013 and started science operations the following year.
The first data release, based on just over one year of observations, was published in 2016;
it contained distances and motions
of two million stars.
The mission was originally planned
and financed for five years.
In December 2017, the ESA extended the duration of the mission for a further 18 months,
until December 2020.
MAQ/September 2018 / 05