Gaia space telescope officially retires after decade-long mission

Europe's Gaia space telescope has officially entered its retirement orbit after over a decade of mapping the stars. The European Space Agency (ESA) turned off Gaia's systems on March 27, signaling the end of an important era in cosmic observation. Gaia launched in 2013 and created a detailed 3D map of nearly two billion stars in the Milky Way. It also contributed to groundbreaking discoveries, such as galactic mergers and new star clusters. The mission's data will continue to support astronomical research for many years. To safely retire Gaia, teams moved it to a new orbit around the sun, away from Earth. This was done because the spacecraft had nearly run out of fuel. The process was complex, requiring careful steps to prevent Gaia from reactivating accidentally. While the spacecraft's mission is complete, future data releases are planned for 2026 and beyond. These will enhance our understanding of the universe. The mission team expressed mixed emotions about ending operations, valuing both the achievements and their memories of Gaia.