Gaia: The Ongoing Journey to Map the Milky Way

Since its launch in 2013, the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite has been on a continuous mission to create the most detailed map of the Milky Way ever. This article summarizes significant advancements in recent years, including multiple data releases (DR1, DR2, EDR3, with DR4 and DR5 anticipated), containing information on billions of stars, such as their positions, distances, motions, and physical properties. This data has fueled advancements in our understanding of the Milky Way's structure, evolution, and dynamics, and has expanded our knowledge in areas such as solar system objects and exoplanets. The Gaia team has also received numerous awards, recognizing its outstanding contributions to astronomy.