On 8 March 2006, 352 kilometres above the Earth, over three orbital passes, the proximity communication link - indispensable for the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) planned for 2008 - was able to transmit 'loud and clear' signals from the Station to two ground stations in Spain during a downlink test. This ground track graphic shows how the ISS passed over Gran Canaria and Madrid.