ATV Control Center
ESA TV Exchanges
The launch of the ATV, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station is planned early March. Developped by ESA, the ATVs are the largest and most powerful space vehicles ever built in Europe. They will be controlled from Toulouse where CNES, the French Space Agency, hosts a dedicated Control Centre.
For more info on this subject please check the script that is online as a PDF file under :http://television.esa.int/photos/EbS55690.pdf
A WMV preview clip is online under :http://esatv-movies.e-vision.nl/videos/mphi/atv_en_new_TV_31-01-08_wmphigh.wmv

Corrected version from January 2008
The original was from 2007
ATV Control Center
Here at CNES, the French Space Agencyís centre in Toulouse, a new building has been built to host the ATV Control Centre. ATVs are Europeís first space cargo vehicles as Lionel Baize, ATV project manager at CNES explains:
Lionel Baize: Toulouse is Europeís Houston when it comes to International Space Station cargo vehicles. During operations at this control centre, around fifty people work in shifts to ensure round-the-clock ATV control and in particular to coordinate ATV operations with the other control centres.
Developed by ESA, the European Space Agency, the ATVs are the largest and most powerful space vehicles ever built in Europe. They weigh just over 20 tons and are more than 10 metres long with a diameter of 4.5 metres.
An ATV is exactly the same size as the familiar British double decker bus.
Equipped with its own propulsion and navigation system, this unmanned ""space truck"" has a highly