ATV Completes First Maneuver, Prepares for Next

After the space shuttle Endeavor departed with the International Space Station on 26 March, the Automated Transfer Vehicle Jules Verne was given the go-ahead to move from its parking position 2,000 kilometers in front of the ISS, and approach it for the scheduled docking on 3 April. Before docking, the ATV must execute two positioning maneuvers near the ISS and to begin the final approach phase.

Demoday 1 was carried out on 29 March, while Demoday 2 will take place on 31 March. The two approach maneuvers have the role of demonstrating the ATV's capability of safely approaching and docking the ISS, but mostly to perform an escape maneuver implemented by the crew of the ISS while the ATV is only 12 meters away from the space station.

Demoday 2 was cleared for execution today by ISS managers in anticipation for the docking attempt which will take place on 3 April. During the Demoday 2, the ATV will approach the ISS as close as 11 meters.

ESA ATV Project Manager John Ellwood says: "Having tested very successfully on Saturday the first part of the rendezvous, in particular using the relative GPS between that on Jules Verne and on the Russian Service Module of the ISS, we now have the go-ahead to test the second part of the rendezvous which uses the optical sensors. This will be very interesting, but we have a lot of confidence based on the great performance of Jules Verne during the first demonstration day."

Demoday 1 revealed that the Jules Verne ATV is capable of performing relative navigation with the ISS through the GPS, in order to safely position itself at a distance of 3.5 kilometers behind the ISS, in the same orbit as the space station. The maneuver took place perfectly, thus moving the ATV in the visible distance of the ISS. The second objective of Demoday 1 was to establish a two-way link between the re-supply ship and the space station.

At the end of the demonstration, the ATV Control Center in Toulouse terminated the maneuver by sending the ATV into a safer position, away from the ISS.

Demoday 2 will start at 14:26 CEST, when the ATV will come at a distance of only 11 meters from the Russian Service Module Zvezda, where it is expected to dock on Thursday. The ISS managers will decide whether to continue with the docking at the space station depending on the data relayed by the ATV during the demonstration.