ESA ATV-2: Johannes Kepler undocking from Space Station

Alors qu’il vient de se séparer de la Station spatiale internationale, l’ATV Kepler glisse lentement dans la nuit au terme d’une mission de 4 mois couronnée de succès.

Cette image a été prise le lundi 20 juin depuis la Station peu après le désamarrage qui s’est effectué à 16h46 heure de Paris. Le lendemain, l’ATV Kepler, piloté depuis le Centre Spatial Toulousain du CNES, s’est désintégré comme prévu vers 23h au-dessus de l’Océan Pacifique.

Picture credit: ESA/CNES

ESA ATV-2: Johannes Kepler has left the Space Station

Europe’s Johannes Kepler ATV cargo ferry undocked from the International Space Station today at 14:46:30 GMT (16:46:30 CEST).

The craft is now leaving the orbital outpost far behind and will end its mission on Tuesday evening as a shooting star over the Pacific Ocean.

After spending almost four months as an important part of the International Space Station, ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle is ending its days as a rubbish truck – another critical role because the 1200 kg of waste bags and discarded equipment cannot just be thrown out of the Station.

The crew closed the hatches between the two vehicles on Sunday afternoon at 15:30 GMT (17:30 CEST).

Undocking came today, with ATV’s thrusters gently increasing the distance from the outpost, towards a path leading to its deliberate destruction. Before the undocking, all electical and data connections between the two spacecraft were disconnected at 14:39 GMT (16:39 CEST).

ATV Johannes Kepler delivered more than seven tonnes of dry cargo, propellants and air in February.

ATV’s last major job was to boost the complex to a higher orbit. The vehicle also assisted Station attitude control several times during its mission.

ESA ATV-2 Johannes Kepler about to re-enter Earth's Atmosphere

Late on Tuesday (GMT), a huge fireball will streak across the skies over the Pacific Ocean. 

Not many will get to see it; it will be over an uninhabited part of the world, and ships and planes have been warned to steer clear of the area.

The event is the return from orbit of Europe's space freighter, ATV-Johannes Kepler.

It has completed its mission at the International Space Station (ISS) and it's now time to come home.
The freighter took up more than seven tonnes of fuel and other supplies to the orbiting outpost, but for its return it has been packed with the platform's rubbish.

Little of the ship or this waste is actually expected to make it all the way to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Most will simply vaporise in the intense heat generated during the descent through the atmosphere.

Johannes Kepler has spent the past four months attached to the back of the ISS. It has been filled with all the rubbish from the space station for its destructive return to Earth
 

This is the second time a European freighter has made the fall to Earth. In 2008, the maiden vessel, Jules Verne, did exactly the same thing.

ESA - ATV Johannes Kepler preparing for fiery destruction

ATV Johannes Kepler has been an important part of the International Space Station since February.

Next week, it will complete its mission by undocking and burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere high over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean.

Serving the International Space Station is a valuable job but it will come to a spectacular end: ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle, packed with Station rubbish, will deliberately plummet to its destruction on Tuesday in Earth’s atmosphere.

Just like the tonnes of natural space debris that collide with our planet every day, the 10-tonne ferry will burn up on reentry.

Only a few hardy pieces might survive and splash into the uninhabited South Pacific. The area’s air and sea traffic has been warned and a no-fly zone will prevent any accidents.

The racks inside ATV have been filled with some 1200 kg of waste bags and unwanted hardware by the crew.

ESA ATV Johannes Keplar raises ISS orbit by 35Kms

It's the International Space Station's biggest increase in altitude to date, and, thanks to ESA's ATV Johannes Kepler, it will significantly improve the 417-tonne Station's orbital mileage through the next decade of scientific research.

During three intensive reboost manoeuvres, ATV Johannes Kepler is raising the ISS altitude from around 345 km to 380 km, where it will use far less fuel to maintain its orbit and cutting the amount of fuel that must be sent up in the coming years by almost half.

"These reboosts will improve ISS scientific exploitation enormously, since we'll need to send much less fuel into orbit, making more launch capacity available for spare parts, scientific instruments and supplies," says ESA's Nico Dettmann, ATV programme head.

Almost nothing remains of Earth's atmosphere at 350 or 400 km except faint whips of gas molecules. These are sufficient, however, to cause the Station's orbit to steadily decay due to drag unless it is periodically reboosted. Moving the Station to a higher orbit means that even fewer reboosts, using even less fuel, must be done in the future.

ATV-2 adjusts ISS orbit; ext TMA

Russia's Mission Control raised the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by 3.74 km (2.3 miles), to 346,4 km (215.2 miles), a Mission Control spokesman said on Friday.

"The adjustment was carried out with the help of thrusters of Europe's ATV-2 Johannes Kepler space freighter," the spokesman said.

The operation lasted 897 seconds, or almost 15 minutes.

European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-2), which docked with the ISS on February 24, is scheduled to conduct two more similar operations before undocking from the station on June 21. The adjustments are tentatively scheduled for June 12 and 15.

Corrections to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically before launches of Russian cargo ships and U.S. shuttles to compensate for Earth's gravity and to safeguard successful dockings.

ESA ATV - Johannes Kepler: A perfect choreography

Johannes Kepler has reached today the International Space Station under the watchful eye of the large and devoted team that made it possible.

The complex challenge of operating ATV was not just technical: the mission succeeded thanks to the perfect choreography among dozens of companies and thousands of technicians and engineers across Europe.

They represent a highly skilled workforce ready to face the future of space transportation, and a great asset to the European aerospace industry.

Like the ATV-2 itself, they have showed to be flexible, tough, versatile, open to continuous improvements and extremely efficient.

I would like to thank all the people involved in this vital mission for their commitment, professionalism and hard work as part of an integrated team. This success belongs to you.

My sincere congratulations to all ESA teams involved all over the world in this endeavour. The list is long: from the ATV-2 Operations team in Toulouse (ATC-CC) and the various divisions in ESTEC to the trainers at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC); from the staff in Kourou, French Guiana, to the astronauts on the International Space Station, and especially to Paolo Nespoli.

This achievement is for the European Space Agency, and for the Human Spaceflight directorate in particular, a reason of pride and joy.

ISS Images: Opening the ATV-Johannes Kepler’s hatch

ESA ATV-2 Launch as seen from ISS

ESA Ariane 5 with the Automated Transfer Vehicle Is Postponed

Ariane 5 mission with Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle has been postponed following a hold during the final countdown at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

A "red" indication for the launch site stopped the countdown at just prior to 4 minutes before the scheduled liftoff.

Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said that according to initial indications, there was erroneous data concerning the launcher's fueling, which resulted in the hold.

As this mission has a precise launch slot, the hold forced tonight's postponement.

Another attempt will likely be made on Wednesday, Arianespace Chairman Jean-Yves Le Gall said from the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana via an Internet videocast immediately after the aborted lift-off.

"There's a 90-percent chance we'll try again tomorrow," Le Gall later told journalists.

The mission was halted when a red warning light indicated a problem the fueling system.

Designed to supply mankind's nearly 400-tonne outpost in orbit, the Johannes Kepler - the largest payload ever taken aloft by the ESA - will bring water, air, food, spare parts and experimental hardware to the ISS.

If successful, the launch will be the 200th in the European space programme.

ESA Ariane 5 - 'Johannes Kepler' space freighter ready for launch

Europe's unmanned space freighter is on the launch pad in French Guiana, ready to begin its voyage into orbit.

At more than 20 tonnes, the truck will be the heaviest payload an Ariane 5 rocket has ever lifted into the sky.

The robotic ship, dubbed Johannes Kepler, will be delivering food, air, fuel, experiments and other equipment to the International Space Station.

Another key task for the freighter in the coming months will be to push the station to a higher altitude.

The ISS has a tendency to lose height over time as it brushes through the residual atmosphere still present 350km above the Earth.

Johannes Kepler will dock with the rear of the platform and use its propulsive might to boost the station's orbit.

Lift-off for the freighter and its carrier Ariane from the Kourou spaceport is timed for 1913 local time (2213 GMT) on Tuesday.

The launch is doubly significant because it marks also the 200th mission of an Ariane rocket since the vehicle series was introduced in 1979.

"Kepler's mass at lift off will be 20,062kg. This is a record for the launcher and for the European Space Agency (Esa)," said Nico Dettmann, who runs the freighter programme at Esa.

"The integration and launch campaign have been very smooth, but still we have to be thorough and careful," he told BBC News.



An artist's impression of ATV2 Johannes Kepler flying over France

Kepler is due to make a docking with the orbiting platform next Wednesday.

ESA's Ariane 5 with Johannes Kepler on board is enroute to the launch pad in Kourou

In Kourou, the launch preparations of Ariane 5 v200 with ATV Johannes Kepler on board are now visible.

No more simulations, testing or preparation work inside the high-rise buildings.

Today, just like always before a launch, the launch vehicle is being rolled out and transported to the launch pad.

The 200th launch of Ariane and the second launch of an ATV (Johannes Keplar), is happening now.

ESA ATV Johannes Kepler: Space Journey

ATV-2 is almost ready for launch on 15 February from Europe's Spaceport. It will be the heaviest load ever lofted into space by the Ariane 5 rocket, making the 200th flight of the European launcher even more spectacular.

ESA's latest Automated Transfer Vehicle space ferry, named after the German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, is now fully fuelled, its oxygen tanks are filled and most of the cargo from ESA and NASA is placed inside.

Only last-minute cargo of up to 400 kg will be added two weeks before launch using a special access device.

While the first ATV in 2008 performed a series of demonstrations on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), Johannes Kepler will head directly to its destination.

The planned journey includes some extra days to allow for possible delays, but the docking has to take place on 26 February to meet the busy ISS schedule.

Docking automatically, but controlled from Toulouse. The ATV will navigate, fly and dock to the Station automatically, but it will be monitored and commanded from the ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, France. Despite its mass of about 20 tonnes, the ferry can manoeuvre itself to within a few centimetres.

During the docking, ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli will stand by ready to interrupt the approach if necessary. ATV carries several separate systems to detect potential problems and to ensure the safety of the Station and its crew at all times.

The links between the ATV-CC, ATV, Ariane and control centre at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, will be tested twice in realistic launch simulations, on 4 and 11 February.

The Ariane 5 ES vehicle is already assembled in Kourou and the ATV will be attached on top on 20 January, beginning 20 days of combined operations with the Ariane and ATV teams.

The launch window will open for four days from 15 February.

ESA ATV: Johannes Kepler being coupled

ATV-2 Johannes Kepler Integrated Cargo Carrier is ready for mating with the spacecraft's Propulsion Module. ATV-2 Johannes Kepler is the second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Europe's resupply spacecraft for the International Space Station. Johannes Kepler is being prepared for launch at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja, 2010

ESA's Second ATV: Prepared For Its 2011 Launch

The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to be orbited on Ariane's milestone 200th flight is a center of attention at the Spaceport in French Guiana as pre-launch preparations advance with this large resupply vessel for the International Space Station.

Named after the German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, the ATV is targeted for a February 15, 2011 liftoff on Ariane 5.

Its mission will mark the 200th flight of an Ariane since the start of operations with this launcher family in 1979, and is to deploy the ATV in low Earth orbit for a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Recent ATV Johannes Kepler activity in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility includes loading of the spacecraft's cargo and a validation of its solar panel deployment
sequence.

The February 2011 mission will be Arianespace's second launch of an ATV, having orbited the ATV Jules Verne in 2008. These unmanned logistics spacecraft are part of Europe's contribution to the International Space Station's operation and maintenance.

Arianespace is responsible for their launch, with six ATV flights currently included in the company's manifest.

ESA Johannes Kepler: Second ATV heading to Kourou for launch

The second of ESA’s ATV automated cargo craft has been cleared for shipping to the launch site in Kourou. Its launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station is scheduled for late this year.

ATV-2, named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, has undergone extensive system testing at EADS Astrium’s site in Bremen, Germany, over the last few months and has now been given the go-ahead for shipping.

It will be dispatched to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana in several sections, accompanied by 59 containers with test equipment. In Kourou, it will be assembled and extensively tested before being loaded with cargo and fuelled. The launch is now planned for the end of 2010.

"After an internal review of ATV Johannes Kepler, we have given Astrium 'consent-to-ship', which is an important milestone," says Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA Director for Human Spaceflight.

"This demonstrates the ability of European industry under the lead of Astrium to provide the requested status of the vehicle on time and with the requested quality."

"When the US Space Shuttle retires, ATV will be the largest vehicle supplying the ISS. Considering its technological challenges, like automatic rendezvous & docking, ATV is the most sophisticated space vehicle ever built in Europe."

"The technology and experience gained with ATV are assets for Europe and its industrial competitiveness as well as a solid basis for further developments to position Europe among the leaders in the exploitation and exploration of space, in low Earth orbit and beyond," Di Pippo adds.

For more information, check out the ESA portal and ATV site