The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia spacecraft has been powered down for good after more than a decade of service. Launched in 2013, Gaia meticulously mapped nearly two billion stars, revolutionizing our understanding of the Milky Way galaxy.
Gaia was not just another space telescope; it was a galactic cartographer that created the most detailed and accurate 3D map of the Milky Way ever made. Its discoveries included ancient galactic collisions, new star clusters, exoplanets, black holes, and millions of quasars and asteroids.
Despite being designed to be resilient, shutting down Gaia required careful planning due to its redundant systems. The team systematically disabled every layer of redundancy before corrupting the onboard software to prevent re-activation.
Gaia was placed in a retirement orbit around the Sun after a series of final technology tests, including stress-testing its micro propulsion system. This ensures the spacecraft won’t interfere with future missions or drift back near Earth for at least 100 years.
The decommissioning process also included overwriting portions of Gaia’s memory with the names of more than 1,500 people who worked on the mission and personal farewell messages from team members. The spacecraft will now carry the legacy of those who made it possible as it drifts through space.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/esa-says-goodbye-to-gaia-after-a-decade