diff --git a/drizzlepac/runastrodriz.py b/drizzlepac/runastrodriz.py
index 36629ea66..d1c5e8db6 100755
--- a/drizzlepac/runastrodriz.py
+++ b/drizzlepac/runastrodriz.py
@@ -186,8 +186,10 @@
 envvar_qa_stats_name = "PIPELINE_QUALITY_TESTING"
 envvar_reset_idctab_name = "PIPELINE_RESET_IDCTAB"
 
-# Order of preference for common WCS solutions
-wcs_preference = ['IDC_?????????-FIT_REL_GAIA*', 'IDC_?????????-FIT_IMG_GAIA*', 'IDC_?????????-GSC240', 'IDC_?????????']
+# Order of preference for common WCS solutions - brute force choice of the GAIA catalog preference
+wcs_preference = ['IDC_?????????-FIT_REL_GAIA*3', 'IDC_?????????-FIT_REL_GAIADR2', 'IDC_?????????-FIT_REL_GAIADR1',
+                  'IDC_?????????-FIT_IMG_GAIA*3', 'IDC_?????????-FIT_IMG_GAIADR2', 'IDC_?????????-FIT_IMG_GAIADR1',
+                  'IDC_?????????-GSC240', 'IDC_?????????']
 
 # History:
 # Version 1.0.0 - Derived from v1.2.0 of wfc3.runwf3driz to run astrodrizzle