Today: ATV transfered to the final assembly building

At Kourou, ATV-2 is placed on a palette

ESA’s Kirsten Macdonell, ATV Cargo Integration Engineer, sent us an update earlier today. She says that ATV-2 is going to be transported today from the S5B Integration and Filling Hall to the Final Assembly Building (BAF – Batiment d’Assemblage Finale). Kirsten wrote:

In order to do this and ensure that ATV is protected, a special shipping container is used. The container is called the CCU3 – Conteneur Charge Utile #3. This container is precisely aligned with the door of the S5B building. Then ATV is moved on a lifting device, which is a palette with air cushions underneath that allows the ATV to enter the container using alignment guides. The door of the CCU3 container is then closed and the container is then towed to the BAF. There it will spend the night, and tomorrow it will be removed from the CCU3. The CCU3 will move at a speed of 15 km/hour when it’s going straight, 8 km/hour on bends in the road and 5 km/hour on corners.

Thanks, Kirsten, for the update from Kourou! (..more pics below..)