The Columbus Orbital Facility (COF)

The core element of ESA's contribution to the International Space Station is the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF) pressurised laboratory module. COF is a multi-disciplinary research laboratory for scientific and technology investigations in space. Overall length is 6.7 m; external diameter is 4.5 m. The estimated launch mass is 9500 kg, plus the mass of the initial scientific equipment and experiments. COF is expected to fly in 2002 to the Station aboard the US Space Shuttle.COF will remain attached for the whole 10 years of the Station's planned operational life. In order to accommodate the wide spectrum of possible research activities over such a long period, COF's interior can be easily reconfigured and adapted. This is made possible through the use of exchangeable standardised racks. New racks will be brought to COF by the Shuttle or Ariane 5 using ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). [Image Date: 01-06-97] [97.06.021-003]