Europe set for bigger station role

[tocqueville]

By Irene Klotz
Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

The ISS: Construction work will now resume in earnest

As the US space agency (Nasa) prepares to resume assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) following the success of the shuttle Discovery mission, Europe is about to take on an enhanced role in maintaining and supplying the orbiting outpost.

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Russian Soyuz and Progress ships will continue flying to the station, as they have been since the programme began. The capsules and cargo vessels were the only vehicles to fly to and from the station during the years Nasa grounded its shuttle fleet for post-Columbia safety upgrades.

But next year, if all goes as planned, there will be a new vehicle on the orbital scene.

The European Space Agency's (Esa) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is scheduled for a debut flight to the station