They Just Shut Down Gaia, the Spacecraft That Mapped Two Billion Stars

After more than a decade of star watching, the European probe was shut down last Thursday.

The Gaia space telescope just shut down

On Thursday 27 March, the European Space Agency (ESA) sent its last messages to the Gaia Spacecraft. They told Gaia to shut down its communication systems and central computer and said goodbye to this amazing space telescope. Gaia has been the most successful ESA space mission ever, so why did they turn Gaia off? What did Gaia achieve? And perhaps most importantly, why was it my favourite space telescope? Running on empty Gaia was retired for a …

After twelve years in space, the space telescope »Gaia« was shut down.

European Gaia satellite is retired but proves tough to kill

: I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that

They Just Shut Down Gaia, the Spacecraft That Mapped Two Billion Stars

After over a decade of stellar service, ESA’s Gaia spacecraft has been retired – but its legacy is just beginning. From mapping nearly two billion stars to uncovering galactic secrets, Gaia revolutionized our understanding of the Milky Way. As the spacecraft now orbits the Sun in silent retirement, its vast treasure of data will continue [...]

The most successful space telescope you never heard of just shut down

An astronomer says goodbye to Gaia, the satellite that mapped the galaxy.