ITWire

NASA will begin television coverage of the event at 7:00 a.m. CDT (1200 GMT), on April 3, 2008.

The Jules Verne will dock at the rear port of the Russian Zvezda service module. Docking is currently scheduled for 9:40 a.m. CDT (1440 GMT).

The Jules Verne, which is about 32 feet (10 meters) in length, will provide supplies, clothing, fuel, and other necessities to the inhabitants of the ISS. It is about three times larger than the Russian Progress supply cargo ship.

The ESA spacecraft will stay at the station for over four months, until early in August 2008. During this time, the spacecraft has the ability to boost the International Space Station into a higher orbit. During its trips around Earth, the orbit of the station degrades. Periodic boosts help to keep it in a safe orbit around our planet.

With a full load of waste materials onboard, and after a nearly six month trip in space, it will undock, perform a de-orbit burn, and enter the atmosphere of the Earth where it will disintegrate.

Other ESA spacecraft like Jules Verne are planned to visit the ISS in the future, through 2015, for refueling and resupplying missions to the crews of the space station.

The Jules Verne was built by EADS-Astrium, a French company. The European Space Agency has spent an estimated 1.3 billion euros (US$1.9 billion) in developing and building the ATVs.

To watch the events live, go to NASA TV.