Jules Verne Finally Reaches Space

Well, not the long-dead author himself, but the spacecraft named in his honor. The Europea-built robotic freight spacecraft roared into space from the launch facility in French Guiana early this morning. The craft is set to rendezvous with the International Space Station in about two weeks or so. It carries some  7-1/2 tons of supplies for the station. Plans call for it to remain docked  for six months as it is emptied, then refilled with trash from the ISS. Eventually, the freighter will be guided to a safe reentry over the Pacific Ocean, but should burn up before it reaches the earth.

KOUROU, French Guiana (AFP) - The European Space Agency on Sunday carried out the maiden launch of a massive robot freighter designed to rendezvous automatically with the orbital space station.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a nearly 20-tonne payload the size of a London double-decker bus, blasted into the skies aboard a beefed-up Ariane 5 launcher, an AFP reporter saw.

After being placed in orbit, the cylinder-shaped craft will deploy its solar panels and gently find its way to the International Space Station (ISS) and berth with it.

The launch had initially been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed for further checks.

The ATV will deliver seven and a half tonnes of food, water, pressurised air, fuel and personal items to the ISS crew.

The European Space agency will spend the next two weeks testing the vehicle while waiting for a berth to clear at the ISS. The shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to be taking up the docking facility for a while.