Jules Verne finally ready for le voyage extraordinaire

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle set to carry Jules Verne into space for the first time arrived yesterday to its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana. The European Space Agency's 22-ton Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) named after the French author of From the Earth to the Moon will make its maiden voyage tomorrow to the International Space Station to resupply it with food, air, water, fuel, and supplies. It will be the heaviest load ever lifted by the Ariane 5 rocket. However, due to the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-123 scheduled for a March 11th liftoff, the Jules Verne will park itself in an orbit until after the completion of the shuttle mission. It will then make an automated docking with the ISS after Endeavour has left for its return to Earth.


The ATV is designed to supplement the Russian Progress resupply ships and Shuttle resupply missions with Europe's own little pet project. It has been a long road just to get to the launch pad, but when the ATV enters service it will provide the ISS with up to 3 times the amount of cargo that could be carried in a Progress ship. Check out the comparison below. The downside, ole' Jules Verne has only one mission. Once it's done at the ISS, it will be loaded with the old station junk and be sent on a burn-up re-entry. I wonder how much these things cost?