ESA - European Space research: A dedicated Ariane 5 to launch Jules Verne

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European Space research: A dedicated Ariane 5 to launch Jules Verne

Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), will be launched next year by a specific version of Ariane 5 called the Ariane 5 Evolution Storable upper stage Automated Transfer Vehicle, or A5 ES-ATV for short.The 20 750 kg ATV mass represents more than twice the heaviest single payload Ariane 5 has ever lifted in the past, including Envisat, the 8-tonne environment satellite. “To handle such a heavy-weight, the Vehicle Equipment Bay, supporting the ATV on top of the launcher, has been structurally redesigned and strengthened accordingly,” explains Julio Monreal, ESA's head of Ariane operations support, in charge of the ATV-Ariane 5 interfaces.

The adaptation of Ariane 5 has required two and a half years of work. This ESA programme has been implemented by the French space agency CNES through EADS Space Transportation, the prime contractor. From January 2007 on, the launcher will be ready for the Jules Verne mission. Later on in 2007, Arianespace will handle the launch itself in French Guiana according to the requirements of ESA in coordination with NASA and Russian counterparts. “With the launch of Jules Verne and the follow-up ATVs flights, the whole Ariane 5 transportation system is starting a new era related to human spaceflights; although no crew will be launched in an ATV, this vehicle complies with the human spaceflight safety requirements and for the first time, the Ariane 5 launcher will fulfill a mission for ESA's Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Directorate”, explains Arianespace's chief executive Jean-Yves Le Gall.