ESA’s ATV Edoardo Amaldi lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, today at 04:34 GMT (05:34 CET, 01:34 local) on an Ariane 5 launcher, operated by Arianespace, heading towards the International Space Station.
The Automated Transfer Vehicle, the most complex spacecraft ever produced in Europe, is now en route to deliver essential supplies to the orbital outpost. It will also reboost the Space Station’s orbit while it is attached for about five months.
ATV Edoardo Amaldi is the third in a series of five supply ships developed in Europe to fulfil its obligation towards the exploitation costs of the Station.
This vessel is the first to have been processed and launched within the target rate of one per year.
- Max cargo capacity: 7.6 tonnes of dry and liquid supplies
- Mass at launch: About 20 tonnes depending on cargo manifest
- Dimensions: 10.3m long and 4.5m wide - the size of a large bus
- Solar panels: Once unfolded, the solar wings span 22.3m
- Engine power: 4x 490-Newton thrusters; and 28x 220N thrusters
- Capability: The ship finds and docks with the ISS autonomously
- No re-use: The vehicle is destroyed with ISS rubbish at mission end
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