Third European ATV docked with ISS.

ESA’s 3rd Automated Transfer Vehicle Edoardo Amaldi has completed the first stage of its docking with the Russian Zvezda module of the International Space Station.

ATV3 has been named after the Italian physicist (1908–89) who was one of the founding fathers of European space research. ATV is the largest cargo vessel supplying the International Space Station with food, water supplies and propellants.

Launched on 23rd March, 2012 by an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the 20-tonne vessel, flying autonomously while being continuously monitored from the ground, docked with the 450-tonne orbital complex with a precision of 6 cm as they circled Earth at more than 28000 km/h.

The Barcelona based company GTD as well as the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) both take part in the European ATV program (docking SW and communications respectively).

More information available at ESA website.