Category Archives: ATV-CC

ATV in BAF; ATV team in intense training

Update sent in earlier today from ESA's Charlotte Beskow, now in ATV-CC Toulouse – Ed.

Early May in Europe is a time with many 'holidays'. These vary from country to country, which makes for some tricky planning when you are working on a Pan-European project.

In addition it gives a false sense of having plenty of time, whereas in reality things are moving towards launch at a fast pace! Here is a short summary of where we stand since 7 May.

7 May - ATV into the container used to transport it to BAF

ATV-4 being moved into the container (CCU3) used to transport it to BAF at Kourou on 7 May 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

ATV-4 being moved into the container (CCU3) used to transport it to BAF at Kourou on 7 May 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Transfer of ATV-4 to the 'Batiment Assemblage Finale' (BAF) by special truck in the early hours of the morning.

Later this day: RSCE General Designer Review concludes that ISS is ready to receive ATV-4.

8 May - ORB & Lifting ATV

The ESA Operations Readiness Board concludes that ATV-4 is ready to be launched (pending some normal 'open' work items). ATV Einstein is hoisted up the "chimney" in the BAF and installed on top of Ariane 5.

13 May - Go for late cargo loading

Meeting to give the OK for the final so-called 'late' cargo loading. This is done by opening the ATV hatch and having an operator descend into ATV using a specially built elevator.

Late cargo loading: The operator stands on the platform inside the ring Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Late cargo loading: The operator stands on the platform inside the ring Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

The picture shows the required structure during preparation (easier to see how impressive it is!). The operator stands on the platform inside the ring, and then the elevator descends into the fully packed ATV.

Late cargo loading: The elevator then descends into the fully packed ATV. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Late cargo loading: The elevator then descends into the fully packed ATV. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Cargo loading is planned for Tue and Wed, 14 and 15 May.

In Toulouse, we hold the Test Readiness Review for the final simulations.

Wednesday is a test (JIS - Joint International Simulation – Ed.) with ATV-CC in Toulouse, the Engineering Support Team (EST) from the ATV project office at ESTEC, Moscow and Houston. All are connected via the operational communication links (via ESA's Columbus Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich) and all teams and engineers will be on console using their final procedures for rendezvous and docking.

Thursday is the final simulation of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP); we take the opportunity to advance on whatever open issues remain.

In parallel to all this the NASA Stage Operations Readiness Review (SORR) concludes that ATV is ready to be launched.

The Certificate of Flight Readiness is issued: things are really moving fast!

14 May – EST arrives at ATV-CC

Engineering Support Team members arrive in Toulouse at the Control Center and are given a final briefing before the JIS simulation. This is their last chance to prepare in-situ for the flight.

For most of us, it is also the first simulation where the sim team do not inundate us with failures... so all in all it should be a good couple of days allowing us to get into the right, serene, frame of mind for the launch. In Kourou, the first part of late cargo loading is done.

15 May – JIS starts

Teams are on console at 06:45 and the sim starts at 07:30. As usual, it is impossible to know what time it is. Your body and watch tell you one thing, the wall clock, something completely different. Not only are all operations done on GMT (i.e. two hours different from local CEST) but we are simulating the real flight. Therefore, it is '26 June and about 07:00'. Of course, this is just a simulation date and does not mean that we dock on 26 June (we don't).

So, time for me to go upstairs and join my team in the control room!

– Charlotte

ATV-4: Ten days launch to docking

We received a query yesterday from Ian Benecken who asked, "Why does it take 10 days for ATV to reach the ISS? Has that something to do with the mass of that ATV?" We sent this query to ESA's lead mission director, Jean-Michel Bois, at ATV-CC, who provided this reply. Thanks, Ian, for your query!

Jean Michel Bois in ATV-CC just prior to launch 16 Feb 2011

Jean Michel Bois in ATV-CC just prior to launch 16 Feb 2011

The nominal duration from launch to docking is five days to 'phase' or synchronise the orbits of ATV and ISS. This '5-day' strategy allows a standard set of manoeuvres from the orbital injection point (by Ariane at 260km altitude) and the ISS orbit, which is at between 390-410 km, independently of the launch date and of the ISS position on its orbit.

Note that the ATV launch time is set to match when the ISS vertical plane is just passing by Kourou (so phasing concerns only ATV 'up/down' manoeuvres, not 'left/right' – which are very costly in propellant).

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Today at ATV-CC: crucial part of this week’s simulation

This sent in early this AM by ESA's deputy mission manager, Charlotte Beskow - Ed.

The simulation of the complete ATV-4 launch-to-docking mission steps is approaching the most interesting part: rendezvous (RDV) and docking. It has been a very busy 'sim' week with a large number of interesting (and, thankfully, false) 'failures' that have kept all of us awake most hours of the day.

Flight control team at work in ATV-CC during docking simulation 7 Feb 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Flight control team at work in ATV-CC during docking simulation 8 Feb 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

It is now 5:00 CET and everyone is rather tired but this has been a very interesting week; in a few hours it will be over for this Sim.

For the ESA Engineering Support Team (EST), there will be just enough time  to head back to the hotel, sleep a few hours, check out, go back for debriefing
And then head to the airport...

We are all hoping that the actual flight of ATV Albert Einstein will be much smoother!

-- Charlotte

EST at ATV-CC 8 Feb 2013 Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

EST at ATV-CC 8 Feb 2013 Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

24h/24h launch & docking simulation at ATV-CC

The lights are back on in ATV-CC!!! The 'lights' of the displays on the flight control console workstations, that is...

ESA/CNES mission controllers on console in ATV-CC 22 March Credit: CNES

ESA/CNES mission controllers on console in ATV-CC 22 March 2012 Credit: CNES

After several months of darkness, the lights are back on at ATV-CC. This week the mission operations and engineering support teams are performing a major simulation in the ATV-4 preparation campaign.

Starting this morning, we will simulate a complete launch, orbital phasing (catching up to the ISS), rendezvous and docking, all done in real missions time. This means engineers and mission managers will work shifts 24 hours per day, and – contrary to real life (we hope) –  there will be plenty of failures to keep us busy...

The general feeling is one of happy expectation. We know one thing for certain: it will not be a boring week.

– Charlotte

ESA's ATV-4 Engineering Support Team (EST) during first full sim for launch 4 February 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

ESA's ATV-4 Engineering Support Team (EST) during first full sim for launch 4 February 2013. Credit: ESA/C. Beskow

Since ATV-3, the 'lights' on the console work stations have been off, apart from maintenance and the odd simulation/test; but this week they will be on 24h/day and all the screens will be active.

NASA launches next-gen communications satellite

TDRS-K lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, 31 January 2013 Credit: NASA

TDRS-K lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, 31 January 2013 Credit: NASA

Editor's note: NASA's Tracking & Data Relay Satellite network provides the main  communications link between ATV Control Centre in Toulouse, France, and the ATV vessels in orbit. This launch will directly assist ESA and CNES mission controllers to remain in contact with ATV-4.

The first of NASA's three next-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), known as TDRS-K, launched at 02:48 CET Thursday, 31 January, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

"TDRS-K bolsters our network of satellites that provides essential communications to support space exploration," said Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator for Space Communications and Navigation at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It will improve the overall health and longevity of our system."

The TDRS system provides tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services for numerous science and human exploration missions orbiting Earth. These include the International Space Station and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Via NASA

... and a great pic!

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, streaks past the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center after launching from Space Launch Complex 41 at 8:48 p.m. EST. Credit: NASA

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, streaks past the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center after launching from Space Launch Complex 41 at 8:48 p.m. EST. Credit: NASA

ATV docking simulation training at ATV-CC

A couple nice updates from ESA ATV trainer Lionel Ferra at ATV-CC, Toulouse, today:

Well... not a great day to simulate docking #ATV4. We had an automatic ESCAPE triggered by #ATV itself at 19m

and

All quiet with ATV… Not!

ATV-3 - 3-7 December 2012: Post-Flight Review
ATV-4 - 18 April 2013: Launch (forecast) = L - 4.5 months...

Tuesday, 3 December 2012

It has been two months since I last provided some information. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that this silent period is due to a bit of post mission peace and quiet... nothing could be further from the truth!

Editor's note: The latest instalment in Deputy Mission Manager Charlotte Beskow's mission diary

ATV-4 in its container together with its temperature control unit. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG

ATV-4 in its container together with its temperature control unit. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG

ATV-3 undocking, initially set for 25 September, took place in two steps due to a mishap in the programming of the communications link (see Extra information on undocking postponement - Ed.). A minor error with no major consequence apart from the ATV rejecting commands sent to it; undocking had to be postponed to 28 September. In theory we could have undocked the following day (i.e. 26th - Ed.) but – like at any busy hub – other tasks were already planned and the replanning of resources (human as well as material) took a bit of time. One of the important things that had to be done was to notify shipping in the planned re-entry zone so that they could keep away (not that there is much traffic in that part of the South Pacific, but still...).

We ended up undocking on 28 September and re-entering on 3 October.  As usual, most of our work was done during the wee hours of the morning,  leading to a rather tired team turning up for the debriefing on Friday morning, 4 October. Also as usual, this was a drawn-out affair, punctuated by various calls of: "... can I go first because I have very little to report and my flight is leaving...".

ATV-3 was a very successful mission and the various team members again showed a remarkable ability to cope with whatever came their way.

With plenty of traffic to and from the ISS (Soyuz, Progress, Space-X, HTV), this lead to a lot of  'nominal' planning and replanning activities. In addition, we had a few anomalies with our vessel, both human errors and technical errors.  None of them were serious but still this made for a relentless pace of work for the entire duration of the six-month mission.

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First deorbit burn slight underperformance

ESA Mission Director Mike Steinkopf, sitting in the MD console position tonight at ATV-CC, reports: first deorbit burn underperformed by 0.2%. This is a very minor amount.

DEO1 – first deorbit burn complete

Tonight's first de-orbit burn was nominal.

UPDATE: Timeline for tonight’s re-entry

Here are the updated timeline events in tonight's re-entry for ATV-3. As usual, all times are forecast only and are subject to change.

All times CEST

  • 20:42 ATV-CC - start of re-entry manoeuvre operations
  • 23:42 - DEO1 First deorbit burn, set for 13:57 mins:secs
  • 02:42 - DEO2 Second deorbit burn, set for 15:03 mins:secs
  • 03:04 - Tumbling, set for 16:00 mins:secs
  • 03:30 - Impact