ATV timeline

The decision to develop the ATV was taken at ESA’s ministerial council in October 1995, which also issued the go-ahead to develop and produce the Columbus laboratory. The ATV and the Columbus laboratory are the main European contributions to the ISS programme.

In November 1998, ESA signed a contract with EADS Launch Vehicles (now Astrium Space Transportation) to develop the ATV and integrate the first flight model.

In November 2001, the full-size test model of the ATV – the structural thermal model (STM) – was integrated at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. This model was subsequently used for the dynamic and thermal test campaigns up to September 2002. Afterwards, the STM cargo module was transformed into a training model for the astronauts at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

At the end of 2002, an electrical test model (ETM), principally incorporating the wiring harnesses and avionics of the ATV, was installed at the Astrium site in Les Mureaux, France, for the test and qualification campaigns using the functional simulation facility (FSF).

In March 2004, the first flight model, now called ‘Jules Verne’, was integrated at the Astrium site in Bremen, Germany. In fact, this was a ‘proto flight’ model which was subsequently transferred to ESTEC for a series of test and qualification campaigns that would last more than two years.

In July 2004, ESA signed a production contract with Astrium for the recurring models of the ATV.

In July 2007, the ‘Jules Verne’ left Europe for French Guiana to undergo the preparation campaign for its launch.

On 5 October 2007, the ATV qualification review was successfully completed at ESTEC.

On 1 February 2008, the propellant tanks of the propulsion system were filled and, on 15 February 2008, the ATV was successfully integrated on the launcher.

The ATV launch is scheduled for 9 March 2008.