The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
ESA's[2] own Gaia Data Release 4 page states the date as a commitment - "Coming up: 2 December 2026" - and says the release-day stories summarising the data products will be published on the day itself. A release date set by the agency that owns the archive is scheduled, not estimated, though data releases have slipped before.
ESA's[1] mission page for Gaia, for what the spacecraft does and what its catalogue is for; the agency's own standing description rather than a dated announcement.
Background on the mission, its survey and the sequence of earlier data releases that DR4 follows.[1]
Something missing or wrong? Say it in your own words: a link that backs this pin up, a different start or end date and why, or a fact it lacks or gets wrong. The AI checks it against this pin's sources, searches for better ones, and adds any page that backs you up. The pin's own sources still count most.
