Watch the Launch

Gaia

Overview

Destination: Sun-Earth L2
Mission: Astrophysics

Sun-Earth L2 Soyuz Launch Complex Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Gaia's ambitious mission is to chart a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way, in process revealing the composition, formation and evolution of our galaxy.

Soyuz STB

Family:
Configuration: Fregat-MT

The 2.1b version adds an upgraded engine (RD-0124) with improved performance to the second stage. First launch took place from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 on 26 July 2008 with a classified military payload. The 2.1b/ST version is sometimes called Soyuz ST-B.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    46.3 m
  • Diameter
    2.95 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    310.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Soyuz STB
  • Family
  • Variant
    Fregat-MT
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Soyuz STB Fregat-MT
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $80000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    8200.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    3250.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    4900.0 kg

Progress Rocket Space Center

Progress Rocket Space Center

(PRSC)

CEO: Dmitry Baranov Founded: 1996 Successes: 44 Failures: 1 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

Progress Rocket Space Centre, formerly known as TsSKB-Progress, is a space science and aerospace research company which is known for manufacturing launch vehicles and satellites. Most notably, Progress Rocket Space Centre is the manufacturer of Soyuz launch vehicles.

INFO WIKI

Related News

ESA

ESA’s Gaia finds a mysterious planet and brown dwarf

Using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, scientists have found a huge exoplanet and a brown dwarf. This is the first time a planet has been uniquely discovered by Gaia’s ability to sense the gravitational tug or ‘wobble’ t…

ESA

Wobbling stars reveal hidden companions in Gaia data

From the ESA Blogs.

ESA

The best Milky Way map, by Gaia (edge-on)

From the ESA Blogs.

ESA

The best Milky Way animation, by Gaia

This is a new artist’s animation of our galaxy, the Milky Way, based on data from ESA’s Gaia space telescope.

ESA

The best Milky Way map, by Gaia

From the ESA Blogs.

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Soyuz Launch Complex


Ceres-1
Success
1 day, 3 hours ago
8 satellites
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Carried 8 satellites to 535 km high SSO: * Yunyao-1 #55-60 * AIRSAT-06 & 07


Angara 1.2
Success
2 days ago
3 x Rodnik (Kosmos 2585, 2586, 2587)
35/1 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series numbering not confirmed. The Strela (Russian: Стрела) are Soviet, then Russian, military space telecommun…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 23 hours ago
Starlink Group 12-16
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 4 hours ago
Transporter 13 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Long March 2D
Success
3 days, 7 hours ago
SuperView Neo 3-02
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Commercial Earth observation satellite built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd, with 0.5 m resolution over 9 image wavele…


Electron
Success
3 days, 11 hours ago
The Lightning God Reigns (iQPS Launch 1)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 12 hours ago
Crew-10
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

SpaceX Crew-10 is the tenth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Cre…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 12-21
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 8 hours ago
SPHEREx & PUNCH
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

SPHEREx is a planned two-year astrophysics mission to survey the sky in the near-infrared light, which, though not visible to the human eye, serves a…


Long March 8
Success
6 days, 18 hours ago
G60 Polar Group 05
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technolo…