ESA's Bob Chesson at ATV-CC just sent in a note: ATV's Proximity Link Antenna (vital for communicating with the ISS) is deployed and the star trackers are OK. More details on ATV navigation aids at the link below. -- Daniel

"ATV: Rendezvous in space" 

Watch a reply of the launch video via the link below (Flash animation should open in a separate window). -- Daniel

launch-ariane-atv-2008-03-09_L.swf

GPS signal receipt was nominal... (Just in from ATV-CC) -- Daniel

Some very nice launch pics sent in from Kourou. Thanks and credit to S. Koenen. -- Daniel

Formal confirmation on launch and a hugely successful orbit injection will go out in a few minutes... Please check the main ESA portal for details. -- Daniel

Update

"Jules Verne, the first of the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV), a new series of autonomous spaceships designed to re-supply and re-boost the International Space Station (ISS), was successfully launched into low Earth orbit by an Ariane 5 vehicle this morning."

"Lift-off occurred at 05:03 CET (01:03 local) from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This flight required a new version of Europe’s workhorse launcher, the Ariane 5ES, specially adapted to the task of lofting the nearly 20-tonne vehicle – more than twice as heavy as the previous largest Ariane 5 payload – to a low circular orbit inclined at 51.6 degrees relative to the Equator and equipped with an upper stage with re-ignition capabilities." 

Full text here 

A rather cool clip from Arianespace TV (from a **previous** launch - but today's would have looked much the same) showing the fairing being jettisoned; image taken from the camera mounted on board Ariane itself (click on 'Full story' to access video...). -- Daniel

 Full story »

Just in from ATV-CC... Arianespace TV have announced that power, arrays, etc. are all OK. My guess is that the folks at ATV-CC have just heaved a **huge** collective sigh of relief... -- Daniel

I just spoke with Bob Chesson, the head of ESA's Human Spaceflight operations department; he's at ATV-CC and he says the ESA-CNES team there are seeing all green!

Listen to mp3 here:

"A perfect injection into orbit" says Arianespace TV... :-) -- Daniel

I just spoke with ESA's Gerhard Billig at Santa Maria station - acquisition of signal (AOS) from Ariane went perfect! The guys at the station also had a great (and unexpected) visual show - they could see cut-off of the main engine. They are now waiting for the second pass, during the second orbit, about 1:45 after launch. -- Daniel

Listen to mp3 audio here: