ATV4 report mission for week 42

Dear followers,

on June 15th, the ATV Albert Einstein has arrived at the International Space Station, making a successful rendezvous and docking. After 4 months docked to the international space station, the last steps of the ATV-4 are planned before to undock (October 28th) and reentry (November 2nd) :

• 17 October: Cargo transfer
• 17 October: ATV Proximity Communications Equipment (PCE) installation on board ISS
• 18 October: Cargo transfer
• 19 October: PCE test between ISS and ESA ground stations

Credits: +NASA / +European Space Agency, ESA 

Sources: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV4 hatch is open !

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV4 approache to ISS last Saturday

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV-4 Docking sequence to ISS

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

Departure of the Russian Cargo Progress from ISS

Dear readers,

two weeks after its docking to the International Space Station with 3 cosmonauts, the Russian space cargo, called Progress 51 docked with success. The spacecraft has taken off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on May 28 with the Russian rocket Soyuz. The three cosmonauts were  Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian space agency, Karen Nyberg from +NASA  and +Luca Parmitano  from +European Space Agency, ESA . 

Credits: +NASA 

The Progress 51P has been loaded with trash from the Space Station. After some a series of engine burns the spacecraft will be destroyed into Earth's atmosphere. The actual deorbit will occur on 19 June at 12:52 GMT.

The docking area of the International Space Station is now clear for docking with ATV-4 on Saturday 15 at 13:46 GMT.

Stay tune !

Ariane 5 liftoff

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

Successful Ariane 5 liftoff with ATV-4

Dear followers,

Yesterday we said you that the European space rocket, Ariane 5, built by +Arianespace, will liftoff from Kourou on the evening. The space launcher had carried with success the 4th resupply cargo spacecraft, ATV to the International Space Station (ISS).  The successful launch occurred as scheduled from Kourou, the Guiana Space Centre at 18:52 local time (23:52 CET).

Credis: CNES

The ATV control center at CNES (French space agency) in Toulouse is buzzing with activity after the cargo spacecraft weighing more than 20 tonnes was orbited. it's a new launch mass record for Europe’s heavy-lift vehicle. The ATV-4 is carrying equipment, food, fuel and oxygen for the station’s crew.

Now, the ATV-4 is slowly moving to the ISS, where it is scheduled to dock on 15 June.

More details of the docking will be releave soon, so stay tune

ESA ATV-4 Official Patch

Credits: +European Space Agency, ESA 

ATV launch by Ariane 5 live on 5 June 2013

Dear followers,

yesterday, the space rocket, Ariane 5 VA 213, which will carry the Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV, has been moved from the final assembly building. The +European Space Agency, ESA 's fourth ATV, Albert Einstein, is now ready for launch to the International Space Station. The liftoff is set at 23:52 CEST or 21:52 GMT from the Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja

Couples days ago, we told you about some troubles with the docking sensors during the concerning the final approach to ISS . The engineers seems to fix that.

The live steaming of the liftoff will be proposed in the following link:

http://www.cnes.fr/web/CNES-en/10082-follow-ariane-launch-live.php

Enjoy the take-off, and don't  that you could follow us on Google+ and Twitter !