Jean-Michel Bois at ATV-CC

Jean-Michel Bois at ATV-CC

Jean-Michel Bois, Head of the ESA Operations Team at the joint ESA-CNES ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, sent in this great news yesterday.

By the way: In the note below, JMB mentions the ATV ground segment. For details, see our Techno-talk Unzipped section, and scroll down to ‘ground segment.’ — Daniel

The news:

On 17 January, a key milestone in the preparation of the ATV-CC and the ground segment was successfully achieved!

ATV Ground Segment

ATV Ground Segment

The Joint Operations Readiness Review (JORR) concluded that ATV-CC and the ground segment are ready to conduct ATV-3 operations.

In the review, the ATV-3 Mission Manager, Massimo Cislaghi, the Head of ATV Operations, Jean-Michel Bois, and their Houston and Moscow operations counterparts verified that ATV-CC facilities, the communication networks and the links with ATV via NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) and ESA’s own Artemis data relay satellite are ready to support the mission.

The review checked that all the operational products (files, plans, configurations) and procedures and the operational organisation have been put in place and validated.

The review has also concluded that the various teams involved in ATV operations are adequately trained to manage all nominal and contingency operations. These include:

  • The joint ESA/CNES mission operation team at Toulouse
  • The astronauts on board the ISS who will oversee docking and related activities, ESA’s André Kuipers and Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko
  • The vehicle experts in the dedicated Engineering Support Centers (the Astrium facilities at Les Mureaux, France, and Bremen, Germany, as well as ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in The Netherlands)
  • The NASA Houston and RKK-Energia Moscow Control Center (TsUP) teams supporting ATV operations

Preparation of the ATV-CC and the ground segment is continuing according to schedule. The remaining activities will now be tracked until lift-off via the formal ‘Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR)’ process, while the teams at ATV-CC and partner locations begin the final set of simulations and rehearsals.

Jean-Michel added:

“This was a major event for ATV-CC and operations and is a cornerstone in the overall process that checks ATV readiness and enables the ‘GO’ for launch. The next milestones will be the verification of ATV vehicle readiness, followed by the review with our international partners that the ISS is ready to welcome the ATV and that we are allowed to approach and dock to the station. The final reviews will be performed in Kourou a few days before the launch with the Ariane authorities.”