Posted: Thu, Mar 6, 2008, 5:58 AM ET (1058 GMT)
The first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a European cargo spacecraft, was cleared Wednesday for a launch this weekend to the ISS. The spacecraft, named Jules Verne, is scheduled for launch at 11:03 pm EST Saturday (0403 GMT Sunday) on an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. The ATV is an unmanned spacecraft designed to carry cargo to the ISS and dispose of trash from the station, much like the smaller Russian Progress spacecraft. The ATV is the largest and most sophisticated spacecraft built by Europe, capable of carrying several tons of cargo, including food, water, propellant, and other items, to the station. While the launch is scheduled for this weekend, the actual docking of the ATV to the ISS is not planned until early April to avoid conflicting with the STS-123 shuttle mission scheduled for next week as well as to allow for several tests of the spacecraft as it approaches the station prior to making a docking attempt.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  ESA press release