Artist's impression of the completed International Space Station

ESA PR 62-2003. Follow the Cervantes launch and docking with the International Space Station from one of ESA's establishments.

The launch of ESA's Cervantes mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is currently scheduled for 18 October at 11:37 local time (05:37 UT - 07:37 Central European Summer Time). Docking with the ISS is scheduled for 20 October at 11:11 Moscow time (07:11 UT - 09:11 CEST).

ESA astronaut Pedro Duque, a Spaniard, starts this 10-day mission in company with the NASA astronaut Michael Foale and the Russian Alexander Kaleri, the next ISS crew. The main objectives of this flight are to deliver a new Soyuz vehicle to the ISS to be used as a rescue vehicle by the crew on board, relieve the Expedition-7 crew (the American Edward Lu and the Russian Yuri Malenchenko) and perform a series of experiments on board.

Media representatives in Europe can follow the launch and docking phases at ESA/HQ in Paris, France, ESA/Noordwijk (ESTEC), at Space Expo, in the Netherlands, ESA/Frascati (ESRIN) in Italy and jointly with ESA at CDTI Madrid in Spain. At each site ESA specialists will be available for interviews.

Those wishing to attend are asked to complete the attached reply form and fax it to the Communication Office at the establishment of their choice.

The ESA TV service will provide live televised coverage of the launch with English commentary, between 07:00 and 08:00 CEST.

Satellite: Astra 2C at 19 degrees East
Transponder 57, horizontal, MPEG-2, MCPC
Frequency: 10832 MHz
Symbol rate: 22 000 MS/sec
FEC: 5/6
Service name : ESA

Details of the transmission schedule and the various pre-launch video news releases can be found on http://television.esa.int

On the Cervantes launch special website at http://www.esa.int/cervantes you can also find news, press releases, videos, images and more about the mission.

For further information, please contact:

ESA Media Relations Service
Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155
Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690