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.
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
