French Guiana - Kourou - ATV spaceship under construction

ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle

In a sterile clean room, one module section of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) called Jules Verne, is under construction by technicians of an integration team at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The ATV cargo carrier is the world's largest and most complex orbiting spacecraft and is a new series of autonomous spaceships designed to re-supply the International Space Station with replacement cargo, propellant, water and oxygen to the orbital outpost. Launched in March 2008 and self-destructed with waste during its return to earth's atmosphere that September, it delivered 4.6 tonnes of payload to the ISS, including 1,150 kg of dry cargo, 856 kg of propellant for the Russian Zvezda module, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen.

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Filename: esa_guiana26916-08-2007_1.jpg
Copyright: Richard Baker
Image Size: 5315x3543 / 1.2MB; French Guiana French Guyana colonial space technology reportage photojournalism science satellite launch rocket ESA Ariane Kourou tropical equatorial orbital communications business aerospace European Space Agency Arianespace portal agency CNES port spatial European multinational co-operation international lancement complex mission commercial countdown Europropulsion payload launcher member states telecommunications navigation satnav pre-flight preparations teamwork transportation transport vehicle industry work career job Richard Baker interior employee employment staff workforce workplace working worker salary wage supervise seniority instrumentation devices calculations mathematics scientific skilled skill management oversee backup status input training modern information importance clean room Jules Verne ATV autonomous integration building construction factory manufacture production intricate exact margin of error gowns clothing hygiene health and safety wide engineering technician expert EADS hi-tech French Europe EU facility French Space Agency impressive exploration project spaceport technicians carrier re-supply orbiting spaceship launched sterile module
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In a sterile clean room, one module section of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) called Jules Verne, is under construction by technicians of an integration team at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The ATV cargo carrier is the world's largest and most complex orbiting spacecraft and is a new series of autonomous spaceships designed to re-supply the International Space Station with replacement cargo, propellant, water and oxygen to the orbital outpost. Launched in March 2008 and self-destructed with waste during its return to earth's atmosphere that September, it delivered 4.6 tonnes of payload to the ISS, including 1,150 kg of dry cargo, 856 kg of propellant for the Russian Zvezda module, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen.