Automated Transfer Vehicle

The Automated Transfer Vehicle, known as the ATV, was a European Space Agency uncrewed cargo spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station between 2008 and 2015. Launched on the Ariane 5 rocket, it was at the time the largest and most complex spacecraft ever built by Europe, capable of delivering several tonnes of cargo and using its engines to periodically boost the space station orbit. Five ATV vehicles flew in total, each named after a notable figure in European history or science, beginning with Jules Verne in 2008, after which the program ended and its cargo carrying role was taken over by other partners vehicles.