A5 ES-ATV

[flynn]

Or to give it its full name (It doesn't fit on the Subject line)<br /><br /><b>Ariane 5 Evolution Storable upper stage Automated Transfer Vehicle</b><br /><br />A dedicated Ariane 5 to launch Jules Verne<br /><br /> <br />27 May 2005<br />Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), will be launched next year by a specific version of Ariane 5 called the Ariane 5 Evolution Storable upper stage Automated Transfer Vehicle, or A5 ES-ATV for short.<br /> <br />Although the ATV does not use the powerful ECA version of Ariane 5, which was launched successfully into geostationary orbit in February 2005, it does need an Ariane 5 equipped with the powerful Vulcain 2 main engine, and featuring the storable propellant upper stage (Etage à Propergols Stockables or EPS) and its re-ignitable engine, the Aestus. <br />Some adaptations to the launcher are also necessary to ensure compatibility with the heavy ATV spacecraft and its specific delivery orbit. For the recurring flights, the launcher will inject the 20 750 kg ATV into the International Space Station orbital plane in low Earth orbit at 300 km altitude inclined 51.6 degrees above the Equator. For the first ATV mission, Jules Verne with a mass of 19 600 kg, the orbit is also slightly lower at 260 km. <br /> <br />New mission for Ariane 5<br /> <br />Since it is the first time the European heavy launcher will aim at such a low Earth orbit (LEO) trajectory and since it will launch its heaviest payload ever, the Ariane 5 ES-ATV is going through some hardware adaptation and some specific tests and studies. <br /><br />The 20 750 kg ATV mass represents more than twice the heaviest single payload Ariane 5 has ever lifted in the past, including Envisat, the 8-tonne environment satellite. “To handle such a heavy-weight, the Vehicle Equipment Bay, supporting the ATV on top of the launcher, has been structurally redesigned and strengthened accordingly,” explains Julio Monreal, ESA's head of Ariane operations support, in charge of the ATV- <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>