The most advanced spacecraft ever built in Europe has entered its construction phase. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), now named 鈥淛ules Verne鈥� after French author, aims to launch in September 2004.
Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity at ESA, Alan Thirkettle, says the new vehicle will be an important addition to the crafts that already serve the ISS. 鈥淭he AVT is part of an overall logistical scenario for the International Space Station,鈥� Thirkettle says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about having a very robust scenario.鈥�
The European Space Agency is developing the ATV鈥檚 at a cost of 600m Euros. It will deliver supplies of food, water, oxygen, fuel and equipment to the ISS. The ATV can carry nine tonnes 鈥� three times greater that the existing Russian Progress craft, but considerably less than the US space shuttle, which can carry up to 20 tonnes.
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But Thirkettle says that each Jules Verne capsule will be far cheaper to launch. He estimates that the capsule will cost $160m per launch compared to $500m for each shuttle.
Extreme vibrations
A prototype version of the cylindrical ATV has been tested in European laboratories. Engineers exposed the craft to extreme acoustic vibrations to simulate launch conditions.
The craft is so large that it must be launched using the giant European rocket Ariane 5. It will weigh more than 20 tonnes when fully loaded and measures 10.1 metres in length and 4.5 metres in diameter.
The spacecraft will be placed in an orbit 300 km above the Earth. From there, the spacecraft will make its way to the ISS another 100 km higher.
The ATV will deliver supplies inside a cargo module that will be accessible to the station鈥檚 crew. It will also carry fuel and oxygen in tanks designed to connect directly to the ISS after docking.
Steep impact
Another role for the AVT will be as an extra booster while docked at the ISS to increase the station鈥檚 altitude. This task 鈥� normally performed by the space shuttle 鈥� is necessary to counter the effect of atmospheric drag, which slowly pulls the ISS back towards Earth.
The spacecraft is designed to remain at the ISS for up to six months before finally being used to dispose of ISS waste. For this purpose it will be disintegrated on a steep impact with the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere.
ESA envisages constructing up to eight Jules Verne craft in all, depending on the life of the ISS.