On Thursday 17 April ESA Director of Human Spaceflight,
Mr Jörg Feustel-Büechl, will sign a contract with the
French space agency (CNES), represented by its President
Yannick d’Escatha, for the development and operations
of the Automated Transfer Vehicle Control Centre in
Toulouse, France.

The main functions of the Centre will be to command and
control the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Under the
contract CNES will take responsibility for management
of the Centre’s development and prepare, coordinate and
support all ATV operations on behalf of ESA.

The ATV is an unmanned vehicle which will be put into
orbit from Kourou, French Guiana, by Europe’s Ariane
5 launcher. It will supply the International Space
Station with pressurised cargo, water, air, nitrogen,
oxygen and attitude control propellant. It will also
remove waste from the Station and periodically re-boost
the Station to a higher altitude to compensate for
atmospheric drag. The first ATV is expected to be
launched in September 2004.

After launch, coming under the responsibility of the
Control Centre in Toulouse, the ATV will separate from
Ariane and, using its own navigation systems, make a
three-day journey to the International Space Station,
where it will use its eye-like rendezvous sensors to
dock automatically. It will then remain an integral
Station element for up to six months.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle is being developed in
Europe by 1500 engineers from 10 European countries
and 30 companies, with EADS-LV as prime contractor.
It and the Columbus laboratory are Europe’s most
significant contributions to the International Space
Station programme, representing Europe as a key
partner in this international cooperative project.

“The Automated Transfer Vehicle is Europe’s most
challenging spaceship to date and will play a vital
role in Station servicing,” said Mr Feustel-Büechl.
“The vehicle is another major European contribution
to the Space Station programme and is helping to
cover Europe’s share of Station operations. Its
development is also promoting economic development and
providing employment in our European space industry.”

Over the course of the Station’s 10-year lifetime, it
is expected that ESA will build at least 8 Automated
Transfer Vehicles.

ESA invites interested members of the media to attend
the signing at CNES in Toulouse on 17 April at 11.00
hrs. Media representatives wishing to attend the
event are kindly requested to complete the attached
registration form and fax it back to the ESA Media
Relations Service in Paris (Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690).
[NOTE: Not attached – A.Y.]

For further information on the ATV Control Centre, please
contact:

Hervé Come
Directorate of Human Spaceflight
European Space Agency
Toulouse, France
Tel. +33 (0)5 61 27 33 02
Fax: +33 (0)5 61 27 32 34

For further information on the ATV, please contact:

Robert Lainé
Directorate of Human Spaceflight
European Space Agency
Les Mureaux, France
Tel. +33 (0)1 53 69 80 71
Fax: +33 (0)1 53 69 80 79

Related links

* ATV homepage
http://www.esa.int/spaceflight/atv
* ATV fact sheet
http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/ESA4ZJ0VMOC_iss_0.html
* International Space Station
http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/iss.html
* ESA Human Spaceflight
http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/
* CNES
http://www.cnes.fr/

[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/SEMCPB5V9ED_Life_1.html ]