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.