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Gaia Spacecraft Retires After Mapping Over 1 Billion Stars

4/2/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The European Space Agency has successfully retired its Gaia spacecraft, which brilliantly mapped over a billion stars since its 2013 launch. Navigating the complexities of a careful shutdown to avoid accidental reactivation, Gaia now rests in a stable orbit around the Sun, safely distanced from Earth for the next century.

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Story summary

The European Space Agency has successfully retired its Gaia spacecraft, which brilliantly mapped over a billion stars since its 2013 launch. Navigating the complexities of a careful shutdown to avoid accidental reactivation, Gaia now rests in a stable orbit around the Sun, safely distanced from Earth for the next century.