ATV-5 George Lemaitre will soon return to earth after being  docked to the ISS for a period of six months  . Its controlled atmospheric re-entry will mark the end of ESA’s Automated transfer Vehicle programme  after some twenty years of developing, planning and building what remains as the heaviest cargo vehicle that ESA has ever sent into orbit.

For years ATV  has played a crucial role in the supply chain of the International Space Station, ISS, spotlighting the know-how of European industry and paving the way for future new endeavours thanks to its advances in technology.