spacetoday.net: ATV docks with ISS

ATV docks with ISS

Posted: Wed, Aug 13, 2014, 9:02 AM ET (1302 GMT)
ATV-5 docking with ISS (NASA)

The fifth and final European cargo spacecraft sent to the International Space Station docked with the ISS as planned on Tuesday. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) 5, also named Georges Lemaitre, docked with the station's Zvezda module at 9:30 am EDT (1330 GMT) after a textbook approach to the station. ATV-5, launched on July 29 on an Ariane 5, is carrying 6,600 kilograms of cargo for the station. The spacecraft will remain docked to the ISS for several months, using its thrusters to help maintain the station's orbit. ATV-5 is the final cargo ship that Europe plans to send to the ISS, although Europe will use ATV technology to develop the service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft.