The European space agency has successfully launched it's new 'space truck' automated transfer vehicle (ATV), from French Guiana, the orbital cargo ship is on a mission to re supply the international space station (ISS).
It is the largest and most complex spacecraft Europe has ever built. It weighs 20 tonnes and is unmanned. It was launched at 0430 GMT on the 9th of march attached to a ariane 5 rocket from the Kourou spaceport. The night time launch lighting up the south American jungle.
The ATV has been dubbed "Jules Verne" for its maiden flight and is even carrying a first-edition hardback of the 19th-Century French author's book From the Earth to the Moon. It will return on a space shuttle at a later date.
After a successful separation from the rocket 66 minutes into its flight, the launch was declared a resounding success. The ATV will continue into orbit where it will park until the space shuttle Endeavour has completed its forthcoming mission to the ISS, before moving in to make a docking
The ship's own computers will be in charge of the approach, employing an advanced form of GPS and, in the latter stages, optical sensors to guide itself into the correct position on the end of the Russian Zvezda module.
The ATV has bee 11 years in development and with its successful completion, Europe can claim to be a fully paid up member of the international space station project.
No comments:
Post a Comment