ESA Transfers Ownership Of European-Built ISS Observation
Module To NASA
Ownership of the European-built cupola observation module for
the International Space Station (ISS) was officially transferred to
NASA earlier this month. The transfer of ownership, which took
place at the Kennedy Space Center July 7th, marks the conclusion of
ESA’s obligations for the Cupola’s development as part
of a bilateral barter agreement between ESA and NASA.
Under the agreement the European Space Agency provided the
cupola in exchange for shuttle transportation services for European
equipment and experiments for the Station. The 1.8 ton cupola will
now remain in storage before being prepared for its launch, which
is currently planned for the first quarter of 2009.
The cupola is an observation and control tower for the
International Space Station (ISS), with windows that provide a
panoramic view through which operations on the outside of the
Station can be observed and guided.
It is a pressurised module that will accommodate command and
control workstations and other hardware. This will allow
crewmembers in the cupola to control the Space Station’s
robotic arm, which helps with the attachment and assembly of the
various Station elements, and communicate with crewmembers in other
parts of the Station or outside during spacewalk activities. The
cupola will further provide observational applications in the areas
of Earth Observation and Space Science.
"The cupola is just one example of how ESA is meeting its
obligations to the International Space Station Program,” said
Alan Thirkettle, ESA’s Head of Development for the
Directorate of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration.
“It will provide a unique control and viewpoint for
robotic work undertaken outside of the ISS and a welcome view of
Earth for the station crews. When it is launched in 2009 it will be
joining Europe’s other major contributions to the ISS
including the Columbus Laboratory, due for launch in 2007, and the
two connecting modules, Node 2 planned for launch in December 2006
and Node 3, which will also become the connection point for the
cupola, in 2008.”
“It is always a pleasure to see a project coming together
so well with the contributions of Industry from many European
countries,” said Daniel Sacotte, ESA’s Director of
Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration. “The coming
years will be a very exciting and challenging time for ESA as we
see the core European ISS elements being launched and attached to
the ISS, and contributing to the largest research facility in
space.”