Schematic diagram of the data segments since the start of nominal operations in July 2014 up to the Gaia EDR3 publication. New data are received on a daily basis from the spacecraft and continuously enter the Gaia data-processing pipeline. This data stream is partitioned into data segments to identify and coordinate the data entering each processing cycle from which Gaia DRs are produced. In each processing cycle, all accumulated data segments are processed again, superseding any preceding solution. DS-0 covers 313 days and 22.2 billion detections, DS-1 covers 105 days and 8 billion detections, DS-2 covers 250 days and 22.1 billion detections, and DS-3, which is the new data segment for Gaia EDR3, covers 370 days and 25.7 billion detections.