PEPSI spectrograph from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona was used to confirm the discovery and categorise it as a Jovian planet, a gas planet composed of hydrogen and helium gas. In May 2022, the confirmation of this exoplanet, designated Gaia-1b, was formally published, along with a second planet, Gaia-2b. Based on its data, Gaia's Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HR diagram) is one of the most accurate ones ever produced of the Milky Way Galaxy. Analysis of Gaia DR3 data in 2022 revealed a Sun-like star with the identifier Gaia DR3 4373465352415301632 orbiting a black hole, dubbed Gaia BH1. At a distance of roughly , is the closest known black hole to Earth. GaiaNIR GaiaNIR (Gaia Near Infra-Red) is a proposed successor of Gaia in the near-infrared. The mission could enlarge the current catalog with sources that are only visible in the near-infrared and at the same time improve the star parallax and proper motion accuracy by revisiting the sources of the Gaia catalog. One of the main challenges in building GaiaNIR is the low technology readiness level of near-infrared time delay and integration detectors. In a 2017 ESA report two alternative concepts using conventional near-infrared detectors and de-spin mirrors were proposed but even without the development of NIR TDI detectors the technological challenge will likely increase the cost over an ESA M-class mission and might need shared cost with other space agencies. One possible partnership with US institutions was proposed. Gallery See also , a cancelled US project References External links Gaia mission home ESA Gaia mission ESA Gaia Archive Gaia page at ESA Spacecraft Operations Gaia library Journey to a Billion Suns is a 360° immersive film – Gaia mission. GAIA article on eoPortal by ESA European Space Agency space probes Exoplanet search projects Space astrometry missions Space telescopes 2010s in French Guiana Spacecraft using Lissajous orbits Space probes launched in 2013 Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-2 rockets Artificial satellites at Earth-Sun Lagrange points