Poster - The first ATV mission to the ISS

The first ATV in the series, Jules Verne, is named after the visionary 19th century science fiction writer and will test highly sophisticated rendezvous technology.

The spacecraft will begin final approach manoeuvres almost 10 days into the mission. Docking will be fully automatic, however if necessary, both the ATV’s computers or the Space Station crew can trigger a pre-programmed sequence of anti-collision manoeuvres, which is fully independent of the main navigation system.

Once Jules Verne has been securely attached, astronauts will enter the cargo section and remove the payload. Its fuel and water supply tanks will be connected to the Space Station’s systems and astronauts will manually release oxygen and nitrogen directly into the ISS.

The ATV will remain attached to the Space Station for up to six months, during which time the crew will systematically remove cargo and replace it with waste material. Once its re-supply mission is complete, the ATV hatch will be closed by the crew and the spacecraft will be separated by ground control to break up and burn upon re-entry, high over the Pacific Ocean.