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Thales Alenia Space, a major contributor to the ATV Jules Verne vehicle

07 March 2008

Cannes, March 7, 2008 - Thales Alenia Space is proud to announce that it has significantly contributed to the development and manufacturing of the European Space Agency's ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle), for the prime contractor Astrium Space Transportation. ATV, which is scheduled for launch from Kourou, French Guiana, on March 9 by a special version of the Ariane 5 launcher, will deliver experiments, equipment and spare parts, as well as food, air and water to the ISS' permanent crew.

The automated vehicle, named Jules Verne, will execute an unmanned flight phase to reach the International Space Station and will automatically dock with the Russian service module Zvezda early April. The ATV Jules Verne will remain in orbit for six months before re-entering and burning up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Thales Alenia Space has played a crucial role in the production of the ATV. The company has been responsible for the design and construction of the "Integrated Cargo Carrier" (ICC), the vehicle passive thermal protection control, the power control unit, the tests systems as well as the overall ATV's TTC (Telemetry Tracking and Control) communication equipments. Thales Alenia Space has also participated in the assembly and tests of the whole system.

The habitable module, produced by Thales Alenia Space, is constituted by a pressurized cylinder of approximately 4.6 metres in diameter and 4 metres long, weighing 4 tons, with an integrated docking system to the ISS on one side, and the refuelling system on the other. These two elements, adopted from currently operational Russian vehicles Progress and Soyuz, have been supplied by RSC-Energia.

"Once again, Thales Alenia Space plays a pivotal role in complex space missions such as the ATV Jules Verne. This launch is a major step forward. The ATV Jules Verne is a first of a series that will be developed within Thales Alenia Space's facility in Turin, Italy, until 2012. We have been working on the ATV program since 2000, leading a team of approximately 200 subcontractors. The delivery of the second ICC module will occur by the end of 2008, for a launch scheduled in late 2009. Thales Alenia Space's subsidiaries in Belgium and Spain has also contributed to this module." stated Carlo Alberto Penazzi, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space Italia.

In the course of its mission to the International Space Station, the ATV will serve not only as a ‘container' for the transportation of equipment and goods, but it will also fulfil a fundamental role as a propulsion module for the orbiting structure itself. The ATV's engines will also be used to reposition the ISS several times along its mission.

About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space forms the "Space Alliance" between the two groups. The company is a worldwide reference in telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With 7200 employees and 11 industrial sites, Thales Alenia Space is located in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.