ESA Contracts For Nine Ariane 5 ATV Flights To Space Station

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ESA Contracts For Nine Ariane 5 ATV Flights To Space Station

More Information:

The European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract, at the Berlin Air Show, with Arianespace for nine firm Ariane 5 flights to launch the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The contract is valued at more than US$960 million (EUR 1 billion). The flights will occur from late 2003 and through 2014 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, using the Ariane 5 ESP/V configuration. Launches will occur at approximately 15 month intervals. The selection of the Ariane 5 to launch the ATV was expected.

The ATV is a cargo spacecraft capable of carrying up to 7.5 metric tons of fuel, water, supplies and other cargo to the International Space Station. The ATV can also transfer propellants to the Zarya module, assist in reboosting the station, and carry away up to 6.5 metric tons of waste from the station, disposing of the waste by burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. Weighing approximately 20.5 metric tons, the ATV will be placed by Ariane 5 into a 300 km circular orbit inclined 51.6 degrees. The spacecraft will then maneuver in orbit to rendezvous with the space station.

The ATV is a European Space Agency program, with Aerospatiale Matra Lanceurs serving as prime contractor. Astrium Space Infrastructure of Bremen, Germany is responsible for the development, integration and test of the ATV’s propulsion module, as well as for the integration and testing of this module with the avionics module. Final integration with the ATV will be handled by a joint Aerospatiale Matra Lanceurs/Astrium team.

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June 12, 2000