Feb 15, 2011, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

[Zipi]

Launch window: Feb 15, 2010. Excat launch time comes later.
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

The Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket will launch the European Space Agency's second Automated Transfer Vehicle, named Johannes Kepler. The ATV is a cargo-carrying spacecraft to deliver supplies and equipment to the orbiting International Space Station.

ATV Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_Transfer_Vehicle
ATV-002 (Johannes Kepler) Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler_ATV
EADS Astrium ATV Page: http://cs.astrium.eads.net/sp/Spacecraf ... se/ATV.htm

Ariane 5/ATV Launch Animation:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYI_0rzgj0E[/youtube]

Ariane 5ES Launch Vehicle (also known as Ariane 5 ES-ATV)

Arianespace's Ariane 5 Page: http://www.arianespace.com/launch-servi ... -intro.asp
Ariane 5 Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_5
Ariane 5 Launch vehicle's technology: http://www.le-webmag.com/article.php3?i ... 20&lang=en
ESA's Ariane 5 Detailed Information Page: http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia ... riane.html

The Main Cryogenic Stage

As the central element of Ariane 5, the core cryogenic stage serves as one of the launcher's key propulsion systems.

It carries a propellant load of 132.27 metric tons of liquid oxygen and 25.84 metric tons of liquid hydrogen to feed the stage's Vulcain main engine.

The Vulcain burns for just under 600 seconds, providing up to 116 metric tons of thrust in vacuum.

The stage has an overall length of 30.5 meters from the Vulcain main engine's nozzle to the forward (upper) skirt.

Its dry mass is 12.2 metric tons, and the liftoff mass with its load of cryogenic propellant is 170.3 metric tons.

After completing its propulsive mission, the empty stage is commanded to reenter the atmosphere for an ocean splashdown.

Ariane 5 ECA has one Vulcain II Main Engine burning LH[sub]2[/sub]/LOX

Vulcain Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcain
Vulcain-2 Volvo Aero Product Guide: http://www.volvoaero.com/SiteCollection ... 2_2005.pdf
Volvo Aero Vulcain 2 Product Page: http://www.volvoaero.com/VOLVOAERO/GLOB ... ain_2.aspx
Snecma Vulcain 2 Marketing Brochure: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/Brochure_ ... pdf#page=7
Snecma Vulcain 2 Technical Sheet: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/VULCAIN_2_ang-2.pdf
Snecma Vulcain 2 Product Page: http://www.snecma.com/spip.php?article121&lang=en

Solid Rocket Boosters

Arianespace's Booster Manufacturing Page: http://www.arianespace.com/spaceport-ar ... ooster.asp
Booster Test Stand Page: http://www.cnes.fr/web/CNES-en/2887-ari ... -stand.php
Booster Manufacturer: http://www.aviogroup.com/en/avio_heritage/spazio (AvioGroup, FiatAvio, Regulus)

Ariane 5 utilizes two solid boosters, each standing more than 30 meters tall with 237.8 metric tons of propellant. The boosters are ignited on the launch pad once the main cryogenic stage's Vulcain engine has stabilized its thrust output.

They deliver more than 90 percent of the launcher's total thrust at the start of flight and burn for 130 sec. before they are separated over a designated zone of the Atlantic Ocean.

The booster stage’s solid rocket motor is made up of three segments: the 11.1-meter-long aft (lower) segment, which is loaded with 106.7 metric tons of propellant; the center segment, with a length of 10.17 meters and 107.4 metric tons of propellant; and the 3.5-meter-long forward (upper) segment, loaded with 23.4 metric tons of propellant.

A propellant mix of 68 percent ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), 18 percent aluminum (fuel), and 14 percent polybutadiene (binder) is used in the solid rocket motors.

The combustion process is initiated by a pyrotechnic device, and the solid propellant burns at a radial velocity (from the center outward) of approximately 7.4 mm/sec.

Flight control is provided by the boosters' movable nozzle, which is driven by hydraulically-controlled servoactuators.

Second Stage

One Aestus engine burning N[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]4[/sub]/MMH

EADS Astrium Aestus Page: http://cs.astrium.eads.net/sp/LauncherP ... ngine.html
EADS Astrium Aestus Brochure: http://cs.astrium.eads.net/sp/LauncherP ... aestus.pdf

Guiana Launch Centre

Guiana Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiana_Space_Centre
Cnes CSG Official Page: http://www.cnes-csg.fr/web/CNES-CSG-en/ ... ersion.php
ESA's Europe's Spaceport Page: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_E ... index.html
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&q=5.237 ... 55575&z=15

 

[Zipi]

Re: Ariane 5 - ATV 2 (will be launched at the end of 2010)

The Spaceport welcomes Europe's no. 2 Automated Transfer Vehicle for launch on Ariane 5
June 18, 2010


The ATV’s Integrated Cargo Carrier section is shown in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility.

Europe’s next Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is being readied for pre-launch checkout at the Spaceport in preparation for its liftoff on an upcoming Ariane 5 mission.

This Automated Transfer Vehicle, which is named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, will be the second such large spacecraft orbited by Arianespace for servicing of the International Space Station – following the Jules Verne ATV launched by an Ariane 5 in March 2008.

The ATV is designed to deliver food, air and water for the International Space Station’s crew, along with experiment equipment and spare parts, as well as other hardware. It also is used to raise the station’s orbit when necessary, and removes waste when undocked from the facility at the completion of its mission.

As the most sophisticated spacecraft ever built in Europe, the ATV will become the largest vehicle supplying the International Space Station once America’s Space Shuttle fleet is retired.

The ATV is composed of two major spacecraft elements: the Integrated Cargo Carrier and Propulsion Module. When assembled, the resupply vessel is more than 10 meters tall.

Original Arianespace's article: http://www.arianespace.com/news-feature ... 0-atv2.asp

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (will be launched at the end of 2010)

http://www.arianespace.com :
The no. 2 Automated Transfer Vehicle begins its checkout for Arianespace’s launch to the International Space Station

June 30, 2010

The second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for servicing of the International Space Station has entered its final assembly and checkout in French Guiana for a liftoff on a future Ariane 5 mission. Ongoing activity is shown in the following images from the Spaceport’s S5 payload processing building, where the ATV is currently located in the S5C high bay – the largest of this facility’s three main preparation halls. (Click on the images for a larger version):

Developed as part of Europe’s contribution to the regular operations of the International Space Station, the ATV is composed of two major elements: the Integrated Cargo Carrier and the Service Module. Shown here is the Service Module, which includes the vehicle’s propulsion and electrical power systems, computers, communications and most of the avionics. Nozzles for its four main engines are visible at the Service Module’s base as it is being maneuvered into position for checkout in the S5C high bay.

(more images and descriptions)

The Integrated Cargo Carrier will carry the dry and fluid cargo for delivery to the International Space Station, and has a maximum upload capacity of 6.6 metric tons. Once the ATV’s Integrated Cargo Carrier and Service Module are assembled together, the spacecraft will have a total overall height of 10.7 meters for installation under Ariane 5’s payload fairing. This second ATV is named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, and it incorporates numerous design updates from the no. 1 ATV Jules Verne, which was launched by Ariane 5 in March 2008.

 

[Zipi]

Re: Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (will be launched at the end of 2010)

ESA's ATV2 Johannes Kepler fact page:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/ ... 1YF_0.html

Contains also information about ATV1, like the launch payload configuration.

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

Launch date has been published: Dec 16, 2010.

 

[RVHM]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

What exactly are the upgrades with regard to ATV 1?

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

What exactly are the upgrades with regard to ATV 1?

Probably very minor since ATV1 worked as planned and even exceeded expectations. I would quess they have upgraded outside insulation blankets since one of them was torn a little bit during the launch.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

http://www.spaceflightnow.com : Europe's second cargo freighter to fly in December

BY STEPHEN CLARK

Posted: September 17, 2010

Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle will carry more supplies, propellant and breathing air than its predecessor when it blasts off in December from French Guiana toward the International Space Station.

The second ATV's cargo carrier is in French Guiana for launch preparations. Credit: Arianespace

The program's partners have not officially settled on a target launch date, according to Nico Dettmann, the Johannes Kepler mission manager at the European Space Agency.

"We have to decide exactly what to do," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace's chairman and CEO. "We have the further question of the launch window for the ATV because there are some docking windows to the space station. We will decide by the end of September what will be the sixth flight of the year."

Officials added several upgrades to Johannes Kepler to increase its cargo capacity and address lessons learned on the ATV's successful first flight, which resupplied the space station in 2008.

The second ATV mission will not duplicate a series of one-time tests conducted by Jules Verne, which approached the station over several demo days with increasingly ambitious objectives.

File photo of the first ATV approaching the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

"Those demonstrations are not manifested for ATV-2, and therefore ATV-2 has not only the full, but new and improved uplift capability," Dettmann said.

Details in the article.

 

[newtons_laws]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

Interesting bit in the above link about the planned reboost of the ISS just prior to the ATV2's departure from the ISS:

"The ATV's engines will burn about 4,000 kilograms, or 8,800 pounds, of propellant to raise the station's altitude next spring after the final scheduled space shuttle flight in February and March.
The orbit boost will amount to about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles. The station will need fewer reboosts in the future when flying in the higher orbit, which subjects the complex to less drag.
If NASA adds an extra shuttle flight, it will have to reach the station in a higher orbit, meaning it will not be able to carry quite as much cargo as previous missions.
The STS-135 flight is penciled into NASA's manifest for launch in late June, after the ATV is scheduled to depart."

Naturally there is a bit of a trade-off between boosting the ISS to a higher orbit (which in itself reduces the required frequency of further reboosts due to less drag) and the slightly reduced load capability of the STS-135 mission (if it gets approved) or for that matter subsequent Progress and ATV re-supply missions. Sounds like a good mathematical optimisation problem! However, my gut feeling is that since propellant for reboosts makes up a significant fraction of the total load of the Progress and ATV missions, the higher the orbit of the ISS the better.

 

[MarkStanaway]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

The 4000Kg of fuel allotted in ATV 2's payload will probably result in the longest re-boost of the ISS yet.
With such a long burn resulting in a 40km altitude increase in the ISS orbit it will be interesting to see how they handle the centre of gravity issue. Are they able to gimble the nozzle of the ATV motor? I don't recall seeing anything about thrusters being mounted on the ends of the port and starboard main truss. I can just imagine the ISS being sent into a slow tumble if they don't get this right.
It will be a good exercise in judging the difficulties of moving small irregularly shaped asteroids.
Mark

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

http://www.spaceflightnow.com : Europe's second cargo freighter to fly in December

I couldn't resist posting updates section here:

Officials added several upgrades to Johannes Kepler to increase its cargo capacity and address lessons learned on the ATV's successful first flight, which resupplied the space station in 2008.

Engineers designed lighter dry cargo racks to accommodate soft bags with supplies, saving about 50 kilograms, or 110 pounds, of weight on each rack, according to Dettmann.

The Ariane 5's solid rocket boosters will fly with welded connection joints, giving the launcher more capacity to the ATV's planned injection orbit, Dettmann said.

The sum of the rack and rocket improvements will boost the ATV's performance by about 650 kilograms, or 1,433 pounds.

In an interview with Spaceflight Now, Dettmann said teams corrected two glitches from the ATV's debut mission, dubbed Jules Verne, to ensure they do not happen again.

Engineers partially redesigned pressure regulators in the ATV's propulsion system after Jules Verne suffered pressure imbalance between two of its propellant tanks. The anomaly did not impact the mission, since the redundant pressurization system took over and the initially faulty propulsion chain was recovered.

"We are confident we will not run into that problem again," Dettmann said.

Insulation blankets on Johannes Kepler will have reinforced attachment points and improved internal venting, Dettmann said. Officials ordered the changes after some blankets became partially detached during the Jules Verne mission.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Dec 16, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

http://www.spacenews.com : Range Conflicts Push ATV-2 Launch at Least to February

Tue, 21 September, 2010

By Peter B. de Selding

PARIS — The second model of Europe’s automated space station cargo carrier will not be launched until February at the earliest, rather than in December as planned, in what European government and industry officials said Sept. 21 is a classic conflict between commercial and government customers that use the same rocket.

The decision to delay the launch of the second 20,000-kilogram Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the international space station will require the 18-nation European Space Agency (ESA) to negotiate with NASA and the other space station partners on a suitable backup launch date.

...

In a Sept. 21 interview, Arianespace Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said inserting the ATV-2 flight into the 2010 manifest would have meant scrapping all three commercial launches now planned between October and December because of the special requirements of an ATV flight.

...

“Yes, our convention with Arianespace does make reference to a ‘preference’ for government launches,” Dordain said. “But that does not mean I can ask Arianespace to violate commercial contractual obligations. I can’t tell Arianespace to never mind its commercial customers, any more than I can tell our space station partners to never mind the imperatives of space station traffic management.”

...

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: NET Feb 2011, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

www.spacenews.com : ESA Reassurances Clear Way for Station Cargo Launch Delay

By Peter B. de Selding

Thu, 30 September, 2010

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The European Space Agency (ESA) has secured approval from its international space station partners to delay the launch of the ATV-2 cargo carrier by two months, to mid-February, following ESA guarantees that there will be no more postponements caused by commercial concerns for Europe’s Arianespace launch consortium, government officials said Sept. 30.

A formal announcement of the agreement is expected Oct. 1.

Arianespace Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall in turn has promised ESA that even if a planned late-December launch of two telecommunications satellites is delayed for whatever reason, this commercial mission will be rescheduled for March, giving time for the ATV-2 launch to occur around Feb. 15.

...

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: NET Feb 2011, Ariane 5ES - ATV 2 (Johannes Kepler)

www.arianespace.com : International partners update launch manifest

Evry, October 1, 2010

NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on Friday agreed to update the International Space Station launch schedule. The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight, STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27 and the Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15.

Roscosmos will continue to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the International Astronautical Conference in Prague.

Arianespace, whose Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has confirmed its commitment to launch ATV-2 on February 15.

The STS-134 flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms.

ATV-2 - dubbed Johannes Kepler - is scheduled to dock on Feb. 26 to the station. The cargo craft is designed to deliver over seven tons of experiments, fuel, water, food and other supplies from Earth to the space station. While docked, ATV-2 also will use its thrusters to periodically boost the station's orbit (which decays with time), and it can also be used for emergency maneuvers, such as those required if a piece of space debris is predicted to hit the station.

This capability saves critical attitude control propellant for the station. After about three and a half months, the ATV-2 will undock from the station and burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean.

The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched in March 2008 and reentered the atmosphere in September 2008.

The launch manifest is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html

...

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.arianespace.com : Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle is prepared for its 2011 launch on an Ariane 5

October 7, 2010 – Ariane Flight V200


The ATV Johannes Kepler is shown during processing in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility. In the photo at left, one of the solar arrays is checked after a verification of its deployment sequence from the ATV’s service module. Loading of the ATV’s cargo carrier is shown in the two photos at right.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to be orbited on Ariane’s milestone 200th flight is a center of attention at the Spaceport in French Guiana as pre-launch preparations advance with this large resupply vessel for the International Space Station.

Named after the German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, the ATV is targeted for a February 15, 2011 liftoff on Ariane 5. Its mission will mark the 200th flight of an Ariane since the start of operations with this launcher family in 1979, and is to deploy the ATV in low Earth orbit for a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Recent ATV Johannes Kepler activity in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility includes loading of the spacecraft’s cargo and a validation of its solar panel deployment sequence.

The February 2011 mission will be Arianespace’s second launch of an ATV, having orbited the ATV Jules Verne in 2008. These unmanned logistics spacecraft are part of Europe’s contribution to the International Space Station’s operation and maintenance. Arianespace is responsible for their launch, with six ATV flights currently included in the company’s manifest.

 

[EarthlingX]

www.arianespace.com : Launcher components arrive at the Spaceport for Ariane's historic 200th mission

October 15, 2010 – Ariane Flight V200


The protective shipping container with the Ariane 5 ES launcher’s cryogenic core stage arrives at the Spaceport, pulled by a multi-purpose tug vehicle.

The milestone 200th Ariane for launch has been delivered to the Spaceport in French Guiana, where it will be readied for a February 15, 2011 liftoff with Europe’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to service the International Space Station.

This is an Ariane 5 ES version of Arianespace’s heavy-lift launcher, and it will loft the ATV named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, placing it in orbit for a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

The Ariane 5 ES arrived in French Guiana this week aboard the MN Colibri, which is one of two sea-going roll-on/roll-off vessels used by Arianespace to transport launchers and related equipment from their European manufacturers to South America. After docking at Pariacabo Port, the Ariane 5 hardware was unloaded and moved by road to the Spaceport.

Arianespace’s February 2011 mission will mark the second ATV launch, following its successful orbiting of the ATV Jules Verne in 2008. These unmanned logistics spacecraft are part of Europe’s contribution to the International Space Station’s operation and maintenance. All ATVs planned by Europe have been entrusted to Arianespace for launch, with six flights currently included in the company’s manifest.

To date, a total of 196 Ariane flights have been performed since the family of launch vehicles began operation in 1978. The 197th mission is scheduled for October 28, using an Ariane 5 ECA version to orbit the W3B and BSAT-3b telecommunications satellites.

Arianespace operates two versions of Ariane 5: the ES version for flights to low- and medium-Earth orbits; and Ariane 5 ECA for GTO (geostationary transfer orbit) missions.

 

[EarthlingX]

ATV-2 Johannes Kepler by europeanspaceagency, on Flickr

ATV-2 Johannes Kepler Integrated Cargo Carrier is ready for mating with the spacecraft's Propulsion Module. ATV-2 Johannes Kepler is the second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Europe's resupply spacecraft for the International Space Station. Johannes Kepler is being prepared for launch at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.