![]() Edoardo Amaldi during its approach to the ISS on 28 March 2012 | |
Mission type | ISS resupply |
---|---|
Operator | European Space Agency |
COSPAR ID | 2012-010A |
SATCAT no. | 38096 |
Mission duration | 6 months |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | ATV |
Manufacturer | EADS Astrium Thales Alenia Space |
Launch mass | 20,050 kilograms (44,200 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 23 March 2012, 04:34:12 | UTC
Rocket | Ariane 5ES |
Launch site | Kourou ELA-3 |
Contractor | Arianespace |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Deorbited |
Decay date | 3 October 2012, 01:23 | UTC
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 410 kilometres (250 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 420 kilometres (260 mi) |
Inclination | 51.64 degrees |
Period | 92.73 minutes |
Epoch | 2 October 2012, 19:36:14 UTC[1] |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Zvezda Aft |
Docking date | 28 March 2012, 22:51 UTC |
Undocking date | 28 September 2012, 21:44 UTC |
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The Edoardo Amaldi ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 003 (ATV-003), was a European uncrewed cargo spacecraft, named after the 20th-century Italian physicist Edoardo Amaldi.[2] The spacecraft was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) on 23 March 2012, on a mission to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with propellant, water, oxygen, and dry cargo.[3][4][5]
Edoardo Amaldi was the third ATV to be built, following Jules Verne (2008) and Johannes Kepler (2011). At the time of its launch, it was the world's largest single operational spacecraft, with a total launch mass of over 20 tonnes (44,000 lb).[6] The ATV completed its mission successfully, and was deorbited on 3 October 2012, burning up in the Earth's atmosphere as planned.
Mission payload
[edit]Cargo | Mass |
---|---|
ISS reboost/attitude control propellant |
3,150 kilograms (6,940 lb) |
ISS refuel propellant |
860 kilograms (1,900 lb) |
Oxygen gas | 100 kilograms (220 lb) |
Water | 285 kilograms (628 lb) |
Dry cargo (food, clothes, equipment) |
2,200 kilograms (4,900 lb) |
Total | 6,595 kilograms (14,539 lb) |
- Source: ESA[7]
Amaldi letter
[edit]In addition to its primary cargo, the ATV carried a reproduction of a letter written by its namesake, Edoardo Amaldi, in 1958. This document, whose original is of significant historical value, reflects Amaldi's vision of a peaceful and non-military European space organisation – a blueprint for the real-life ESA.
Mission summary
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/ATV-3_departs_from_the_International_Space_Station.jpg/220px-ATV-3_departs_from_the_International_Space_Station.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/ISS-30_Andr%C3%A9_Kuipers_floats_into_the_ATV-3.jpg/220px-ISS-30_Andr%C3%A9_Kuipers_floats_into_the_ATV-3.jpg)
Launch
[edit]Edoardo Amaldi arrived at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, in August 2011 to undergo pre-launch preparations. The spacecraft was mounted on an Ariane 5ES rocket, and was launched on 23 March 2012 by Arianespace on behalf of the European Space Agency.
Docking
[edit]The ATV docked with the ISS on 28 March 2012, five days after its launch. In addition to resupplying the Expedition 30 astronauts, Edoardo Amaldi used its thrusters to boost the station's altitude.[8][9]
Deorbit
[edit]The ATV was initially planned to undock from the ISS on 25 September 2012.[10][11] However, a command program error during the undocking procedure delayed the release,[12] and Edoardo Amaldi did not actually undock until 21:44 GMT on 28 September.[13] The spacecraft finally deorbited and performed a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean on 3 October 2012, taking with it a payload of station waste.[14]
ATV missions
[edit]Designation | Name | Launch date | ISS docking date | Deorbit date | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATV-1 | Jules Verne | 9 March 2008 | 3 April 2008 | 29 September 2008 | |
ATV-2 | Johannes Kepler | 16 February 2011 | 24 February 2011 | 21 July 2011 | |
ATV-3 | Edoardo Amaldi | 23 March 2012 | 28 March 2012 | 3 October 2012[14] | |
ATV-4 | Albert Einstein | 5 June 2013 | 15 June 2013 | 2 November 2013 | |
ATV-5 | Georges Lemaître | 29 July 2014[20][21] | 12 August 2014[20] | 15 February 2015[21] | |
See also
[edit]- Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, a NASA program to develop uncrewed commercial resupply spacecraft
- Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station
- Similar cargo spacecraft
References
[edit]- ^ Peat, Chris (2 October 2012). "ATV-3 - Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Third ATV named after Edoardo Amaldi". ESA. 16 March 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- ^ "Space station cargo delivery delayed about two weeks". Spaceflight Now. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "ATV-4 to carry name Albert Einstein". ESA. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ "Edoardo Amaldi Blog". ESA. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ "ATV-3 Cargo: the world's largest spacecraft". ESA Online Videos. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Information Kit: ATV Edoardo Amaldi" (PDF). ESA. 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "ISS orbit boosted by ATV Edoardo Amaldi". ESA. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ "NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 22 May 2012". NASA. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2012 – via SpaceRef.com.
- ^ "Europe's third cargo vehicle docks with the Space Station". ESA – ATV. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Fun stuff – Edoardo Amaldi". ESA – ATV. August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "ATV undocking postponed". ESA – ATV. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ "ATV-3 undocks from ISS". ESA – ATV. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Mission accomplished for ATV Edoardo Amaldi" (Press release). ESA. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "ATV-1: Jules Verne". ESA – ATV. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "ATV-2: Johannes Kepler". ESA – ATV. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "ATV-3: Edoardo Amaldi". ESA – ATV. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "ATV Albert Einstein" (AdobeFlash). ESA. April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "ATV-4: Albert Einstein". ESA – ATV. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "ATV completes final automated docking". ESA – ATV. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Last ATV reentry leaves legacy for future space exploration". ESA – ATV. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Fifth ATV named after Georges Lemaitre". ESA – ATV. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Europe's Space Freighter" (AdobeFlash). ESA. 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
External links
[edit]- ESA – ATV
- ESA – Edoardo Amaldi Fact Sheet (PDF)
- "ATV-3 docks to the ISS" Archived 2014-04-08 at the Wayback Machine. BIS-Space.com. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
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