ESA Jules Verne ATV under control after a textbook launch (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

9 March 2008

Jules Verne ATV under control after a textbook launch

An absolutely perfect launch brought Jules Verne ATV into orbit after a
textbook countdown and mission of the Ariane 5 launcher. All the events
occurred on time, the multiple re-ignition of the specially designed Ariane
5 upper stage went off absolutely as predicted. Jules Verne ATV separated as
foreseen and was injected in the correct orbit. Communication between the
spacecraft and the ATV Control Centre in Toulouse confirmed that the
spacecraft was responding nominally.

All navigation systems onboard, the star-trackers, the GPS system are
working nominally and the solar arrays, which deployed very smoothly, are
delivering full power. However the spacecraft on board computers detected a
slight difference in pressure between the oxidizer and the fuel that compose
the propellant. This caused the ATV to immediately switch over to the second
of four propulsion chains, as it is designed to do.

Engineers at the Control Centre in Toulouse and at the prime contractor
premises EADS-Astrium in Les Mureaux are evaluating and analysing the data
coming from the spacecraft and are assessing the consequences, if any, in
the immediate planning.

The ATV is the very first spacecraft in the world designed to conduct
automated docking in full compliance with the very tight safety constraints
imposed by human spaceflight operations and is now well on its way to its
rendezvous with the International Space Station in early April.

Listen to an audio recording of the Jules Verne ATV post-launch press
conference held at Guiana Space Centre earlier this afternoon -- linked on
the right menu.

[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7S1L26DF_index_1.html ]