This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Gaia space probe being tested at the Intespace facility in Toul

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This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Gaia space probe being tested at the Intespace facility in Toulouse, France. The probe's Deployable Sunshield Assembly (DSA) is being opened. When fully deployed, the DSA has a diameter of metres. It will power the probe using solar energy and shield the sensors from sunlight. Gaia will travel to the second Lagrangian point (L2), located about million kilometres from the Earth in the direction opposite to the Sun. From there, it will scan the sky for five years and measure the position and properties of a billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Gaia was launched in December 2013.

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Size: 3500px × 2333px
Photo credit: © M Pedoussaut/EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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