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ESA selects prime contractor for Gaia astrometry mission   Gaia will be the most accurate optical astronomy satellite ever built so far. Due for launch in 2011, it will continuously scan the sky for at least five years from a point in space known as the second Lagrangian point (or L2), located at about 1.6 million kilometres away from the Earth, in the direction opposite to the Sun.
Gaia’s goal is to perform the largest census of our Galaxy and build a highly accurate 3D map. The satellite will determine the position, colour and true motion of one thousand million stars. Gaia will also identify as many as 10 000 planets around other stars, and discover several tens of thousands of new bodies - comets and asteroids - in our own Solar System.  David Southwood, ESA's Director of Science (right), and Antoine Bouvier, CEO of EADS Astrium (left), shake hands after the signature of the contract that ESA awarded the European company to develop and build the Gaia satellite. The ceremony was held in Toulouse on 11 May 2006.
The goal of Gaia, currently planned for launch in 2011, is to make the largest, most precise map of our own Galaxy to date.  After separation from the launcher, Gaia will unfold its sun-shield. This deployable shield, covering an area of one hundred square metres, is designed to minimise the temperature fluctuations on the highly sensitive optics.
Gaia, next ESA's astrometry mission, is due for launch in 2011. Release date: 4 October 2007 |