Scale model (1:6) of the Hipparcos (High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite) astrometry spacecraft

Star-mapping spacecraft

Hipparcos was the first space mission designed to map stars. It measured the positions, distances and motion of over 2½ million stars to new degrees of precision. The satellite’s name acknowledges the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who systematically mapped over a thousand stars with the naked eye around 150 BC. In 2010 a new mission called Gaia will launch, aiming to map over a billion stars.