Automated Transfer Vehicle

ATV, Ariane Transfer Vehicle

Mission Profile

Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV, Ariane Transfer Vehicle) was ESA's uncrewed cargo spacecraft launched aboard Ariane 5 rockets to resupply the International Space Station with propellant, water, gases, food, and equipment, while also performing periodic ISS orbit reboost and debris avoidance maneuvers. First flown in March 2008 as Jules Verne, five ATV missions were completed through Georges Lemaître in 2014, each delivering 6,600 to 7,667 kg of cargo — far more than any other ISS cargo vehicle of its era. ATV was particularly valued for its propellant transfer capability, essential for maintaining ISS orbital altitude against atmospheric drag. The program ended after five missions as ESA transitioned ATV heritage technology to the Orion Service Module.