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The European Space Agency has announced its intention to develop a cargo return vehicle (CARV) to bring back payload from the International Space Station. The CARV will be an evolution of the agency's expendable Automated Transfer vehicle (ATV)
The first of the five ATVs to be flown docked with the ISS in April. ESA carried out, under its general study programme in 2004, research on a "Larger Cargo Return Spacecraft" and from the third quarter of that year a cargo return vehicle concept called CARV. It would be able to bring back "hundreds of kilograms".
The ATV consists of a propulsion module and a carrier section. The rentry capsule would replace the carrier. The CARV's return vehicle would use technology from ESA's 1998 Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD) capsule.
The CARV proposal was made public in the 17 July joint heads of agency statement. It said:
"ESA plans for an Automated Transfer Vehicle-Advanced Return Vehicle system for downmass from the ISS," and the agency told Flight, "it is a crucial part of the proposal to the [member states' space ministers'] meeting in November".
ESA's head of the future transportation and infrastructure division, Marco Caporicci, told Flight in 2004 that CARV would be compatible with the space station's wider-diameter US docking port, allowing larger items to be loaded and unloaded.
Caporicci also expected a 2010 in-service date for CARV if it had been approved in 2006, suggesting a 2013 start of operations assuming its approval at this November's ministerial meeting.
The ATV consists of a propulsion module and a carrier section. The rentry capsule would replace the carrier. The CARV's return vehicle would use technology from ESA's 1998 Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD) capsule.
The CARV proposal was made public in the 17 July joint heads of agency statement. It said:
"ESA plans for an Automated Transfer Vehicle-Advanced Return Vehicle system for downmass from the ISS," and the agency told Flight, "it is a crucial part of the proposal to the [member states' space ministers'] meeting in November".
ESA's head of the future transportation and infrastructure division, Marco Caporicci, told Flight in 2004 that CARV would be compatible with the space station's wider-diameter US docking port, allowing larger items to be loaded and unloaded.
Caporicci also expected a 2010 in-service date for CARV if it had been approved in 2006, suggesting a 2013 start of operations assuming its approval at this November's ministerial meeting.
on July 18, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply
With seats installed, the capsule could be used as an emergency return vehicle for as many as six people, by my calculation. This sounds quite lovely, actually. It could be available some years before Ares, or any other equivalent vehicle.
I also wonder what the shelf life of one of ESA's ships when docked is longer then that of the Soyuz? I really like the idea of one of these being available for years at a time, and the Soyuz or it's replacement merely being a taxi.
on July 18, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply
Its funny you should say that because I have just come off a phone call with ESA and the thinking is to build on this CARV for a manned vehicle. More details next week when I publish my story
on July 20, 2008 12:33 AM | Reply
ATV shelf life seems to be dependent upon the rate at which fuel is used in ISS re-boost manoeuvres. Either that or the rate at which the ATV is filled with junk!
ATV appears to be an excellent "base vehicle" from which several other, manned spacecraft can be developed. Now, how do we keep the momentum going?
Looking forward to your next story.