Under this planning, the liftoff will be precisely at 8:44:03 p.m. local time in French Guiana – initiating Arianespace’s flight to loft Europe’s fifth, and final, Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for servicing of the International Space Station, which is named after Belgian physicist Georges Lemaître.

The ATV program – managed by the European Space Agency – is part of Europe’s contribution to the crewed orbital facility’s operation. The Automated Transfer Vehicle’s prime contractor is Airbus Defence and Space, which also has the role as Ariane 5 industrial architect.