After a flawless launch on Sunday, ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle is safely on orbit and beginning its pursuit of the International Space Station. The robotic spacecraft will deliver 7 metric tons of supplies and equipment to the astronauts on the orbital outpost.
ESA reports the ATV, dubbed Jules Verne, is functioning normally. “All navigation systems onboard, the star-trackers, the GPS system are working nominally and the solar arrays, which deployed very smoothly, are delivering full power. However the spacecraft on board computers detected a slight difference in pressure between the oxidizer and the fuel that compose the propellant. This caused the ATV to immediately switch over to the second of four propulsion chains, as it is designed to do.”
There is a lot of mission coverage out there. Here are a few links you might find useful:
ESA ATV Blog: All the latest updates as well as slide shows, launch videos and background information.
Space.com
Reuters
Arianespace Press Release
The European Space Agency has posted an animation of the flight of it Automated Transfer Vehicle Jules Verne. The video shows the launch, docking, and de-orbiting of the robotic cargo spacecraft, which is set for launch to International Space Station on March 9. The ATV can deliver 7.2 metric tons of cargo and supplies to ISS.
Ever wondered what the differences are between Europe’s ATV, SpaceX’s Dragon, and Orbital Sciences Cygnus spacecraft? If so, Taylor Dinerman has a few answers over at The Space Review.
All three vehicles are designed to ferry cargo to the International Space Station. ESA’s ATV is set to make its debut later this month; Dragon and Cygnus are commercial alternatives being developed by private industry with seed money from NASA’s COTS program. Dinerman takes a look at each vehicle’s capabilities and their prospects.
SPACEHAB Press Release
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SPACEHAB, Incorporated (NASDAQ:SPAB), a provider of commercial space services, today issued a statement from SPACEHAB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas B. Pickens, III, regarding NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) announcement on February 19, 2008.
“While we are disappointed that SPACEHAB was not selected as a winner of the COTS competition, we want to be certain to convey to our stockholders that the Company has been aggressively pursuing other valuable opportunities including growing our profitable Astrotech subsidiary, primarily through our expanded long term relationship with the U.S. Government Office of Space Launch and our announced end-to-end ALLSAT satellite service system. Also, by design, most of the costs and advanced engineering that were invested in the COTS ARCTUS Program are also being applied to advance our ALLSAT satellite system.
Continue reading ‘SPACEHAB Releases Statement About COTS Loss’
And the winner is….Orbital Science Corporation. NASA awarded the Dulles, Virginia-based company $171 million under its COTS program to build and demonstrate a launch system capable of delivering cargo to the international space station.
The COTS program is designed stimulating private development for vehicles capable of transporting cargo and crews to ISS. Orbital Sciences joins SpaceX of El Segundo, California, which is also developing a rocket and vehicle under COTS.
The three-year agreement calls for the development of:
- Taurus II, a new medium-class launch vehicle
- Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft
- Several interchangeable modules for pressurized and unpressurized cargo.
NASA awarded the funding after ending a similar agreement with Rocketplane Kistler. The Oklahoma-based company failed to come up with a half billion dollar in private funding to supplement its NASA award.
There had been a lot of media coverage. Below is a sampling of useful links:
NASA awards grant for cargo spaceship: MSNBC (via Brian Berger, Space.com)
Orbital Will Develop Craft With NASA: Associate Press via Forbes
NASA backs private firm to help supply space station: Houston Chronicle
Orbital Sciences COTS Homepage (with illustrations)
NASA Partners With Orbital Sciences for Space Transport Services: NASA Press Release via PR News Wire
One of the unsuccessful bidders was Chicago-based PlanetSpace, which had been hoping to use the money to jump start efforts to build a commercial spaceport on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Canadian Press has an update.
