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Jeremy Close
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Tuesday, 12 February 2008 |
Europe’s space laboratory Columbus is in space: it successfully docked to the ISS on Monday 11 February.
The module was built by Astrium for the European Space Agency ESA.
Columbus was lifted out of its cargo bay and docked to the station. The two ESA astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love connected Columbus to the station and started its operation.
With a length of 8 metres, a diameter of 4.5 metres and a weight of about 13 tons, the Columbus multi-purpose laboratory is one of Europe’s cornerstone contributions to the ISS along with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). It is equipped with its own life support system and provides room for three scientific astronauts who will carry out experiments and tasks in a variety of basic research disciplines. The space laboratory is now part of the ISS and is designed for a minimum service life of ten years. As ESA’s prime contractor, Astrium has successfully coordinated 14 different nations in the course of the programme.
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2006, Astrium had a turnover of €3.2 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of €39.4 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116, 000. |
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