ATV;: Aérospatiale signs a contract with ESA for 408 million ECUs Nov. 25
AEROSPATIALE has just been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development of the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle). The contract amounting to 408 million ECU's was signed by Antonio Rodotà, Director General of ESA and Yves Michot, President and CEO of AEROSPATIALE. ATV is a logistics vehicle to bring cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and to periodically ensure its orbital reboost.
Aerospatiale, as prime contractor under a fixed price contract, is responsible for system and vehicle engineering, vehicle testing, software development, and global verification of the vehicle. Aerospatiale leads a team of companies from ten European countries, the major partners being : Alenia Spazio (Italy), Alcatel Bell Telephone (Belgium), Contraves Space (Switzerland), DASA (Germany), and Matra Marconi Space (France).
ATV will be launched by Ariane 5 Evolution, and its first flight is planned for 2003. It will ensure about 8 missions from then until 2013, and consitute part of ESA's contribution towards shared ISS operating expenses. ATV will provide the following services to the ISS :
- reboost and altitude control of the ISS (orbit corrections using the ATV's propulsion system to compensate for the ISS's regular loss of altitude),
- delivery of cargo, such as compressed air, water, and pressurized payloads such as food, clothing, consumable items, and experiments, to the Station,
- refueling of the ISS (transfer of fuel from ATV to the Station)
- elimination of waste from the Station.
The ATV is a specific payload of Ariane 5, which is configured for this mission without the upper storable propellant stage. It is about 10 meters in length, and 4.57 meters in diameter. Span with solar array deployed is 18.3 meters. Dry mass will be about 8,000 Kg and payload mass is about 7 metric tons. Electric power will be 3800 W end of life.
After launch, the ATV separates from the launcher, and attains a circular orbit. After 80 hours of phasing, it will rendez-vous automatically with the Station and dock on the side of the Russian service module. During its period in space, the ATV can be separated from and then re-dock to the station, and be used several times for periodic reboosting. After six months, the ATV will separate from the Station. It will then disintegrate as it reenters the Earth's atmosphere.
