ESA puts Automated Transfer Vehicle under the spotlight
The European space agency (ESA) will give the first pre-launch presentation of the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Europe's new multifunctional spacecraft to supply the International Space Station, on 9 April. The ATV, scheduled for launch in autumn 2004, will be presented to the media at ESA's Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy will provide a user's view of the ATV. The new spacecraft will play a key role in servicing the International Space Station, which requires regular deliveries of equipment, fuel, spare parts and food, air and water for its permanent crew. ESA will build at least eight ATVs, depending on the operational lifetime of the space station. The project involves 30 companies from 10 European countries.