ATV-5 reentry seen from space

The fifth and final Automated Trasnfer Vehicle, Georges Lemaître, as it burns up harmlessly in a controlled reentry over the Pacific Ocean.

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the International Space Station took this picture and commented: "Good bye ATV-5! Arrivederci ATV-5!"

This last ATV, Georges Lemaître, set the record for the heaviest Ariane 5 launch when it climbed into space from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 29 July 2014.

It delivered 6.6 tonnes of supplies,including food, water, fuel, clothes and experiment hardware.

The versatile spacecraft also raised the Station’s orbit and moved it out of the way of space debris.

Before undocking, astronauts loaded it with waste material, freeing up space on the weightless research centre.