The space station crew opened the Automated Transfer Vehicle's hatch and floated inside the ship's pressurized cabin Friday, one day after the massive ship docked with the complex with a full tank of rocket fuel and fresh supplies.

The ATV is scheduled to remain at the space station until about June 4, but its exact departure date depends on other traffic around the outpost, namely the timing of the final space shuttle mission.

We have posted a photo gallery of Thursday's docking as seen by astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station.

Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle firmly docked to the International Space Station Thursday, delivering fresh equipment, rocket fuel and oxygen to the orbiting lab hours before space shuttle Discovery was scheduled to blast off with even more supplies.

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Discovery astronaut Nicole Stott just tweeted: "ATV docking complete! ISS just got bigger. Congrats to ESA and all the station partners around the world!"

Hooks and latches have engaged in space station docking port to firmly secure ATV cargo ship. That's very good news for clearing shuttle Discovery to launch today.

The docking probe on the forward nose of ATV has been retracted.

Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle has arrived at the space station with fresh supplies, rocket fuel and propellant.

CONTACT AND CAPTURE.

Johannes Kepler is now 3 meters, or about 10 feet, from the space station.

Range is about 20 feet.

Control centers in Toulouse, Moscow and Houston are all "go" for docking. The approach has resumed again.

The ATV is now at the final hold point 11 meters, or 36 feet, behind the International Space Station.

Johannes Kepler is again moving toward the space station after approval from flight control centers in Toulouse, Moscow and Houston.

The ATV is heading for the S41 hold point about 36 feet from the complex's aft docking port, where it will stop for about five minutes.

Mission control reports good alignment between the ATV's Russian docking probe and the Zvezda module's receiving port.

The ATV's rendezvous includes these planned hold points to give controllers a chance to study the ship's performance and give approval to proceed further. The ATV control center is located in Toulouse, France. Engineers in Moscow and Houston are also closely monitoring today's ATV arrival.

Johannes Kepler is scheduled to stay at this S4 hold point for about 15 minutes before resuming its approach.

The 33-foot-long Automated Transfer Vehicle is now holding 62 feet behind the space station. Docking is still expected around 1600 GMT (11 a.m. EST).

Range is 40 meters, or 131 feet.

Resembling an X-wing starfighter from the Star Wars film series, the Johannes Kepler spacecraft is now about 213 feet from the space station.

Cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and flight engineer Paolo Nespoli are manning a console inside the Zvezda module to issue emergency commands to the ATV should problems develop in the approach. The crew has the ability to send retreat, escape and abort commands to the spacecraft.

The sun is rising aboard the International Space Station as the Automated Transfer Vehicle looms just behind the Zvezda service module. Range is about 260 feet.

Mission control reports docking is now expected around 1600 GMT (11 a.m. EST) after some delays earlier in the rendezvous sequence.

After troubleshooting an issue with the video overlay for the space station crew to monitor the ATV's final approach, the spacecraft is again closing in on the complex from the S3 waypoint.

It should take about 23 minutes to reach the next hold point at a distance of 62 feet from the space station.

ESA reports the ATV's videometer system has been activated and is supplying navigation data.

The ATV is supposed to activate its videometer and telegoniometer rendezvous instruments at this hold point. The videometers, working simultaneously with one in standby mode, fire pulses of laser light toward the station one-to-ten times per second.

Mirrors on the rear end of the Zvezda module will reflect the laser light pulses back to the ATV to derive its location relative to the space station.

The Johannes Kepler spacecraft has reached the S3 hold point approximately 250 meters, or 817 feet, behind the space station.

Range between the ATV and the space station is now 450 meters, or nearly 1,500 feet. The next hold point is at 250 meters, or 817 feet.

ESA reports the ATV is now within a kilometer, or about 3,300 feet, of the space station. Video from the space station shows the ATV approaching below and behind the complex.

Range is now 1.3 miles and closing rate is 6.7 feet per second.

The ATV is closing in on the station at a rate of about 4 feet per second, according to ESA.

After activating key systems and checking the ATV's status, controllers in Toulouse, France, has issued the command for the ship to resume its approach to the space station.

The next stop is the S3 hold point 817 feet behind the station. It should take about 40 minutes to reach that point.

Check out this docking timeline to follow along as the ATV approaches the space station this morning.

The ATV is now at the S2 hold point about 3.5 kilometers, or 2.2 miles behind the space station. The cargo ship should now be at the same altitude as the complex.

Johannes Kepler is supposed to stay at this hold point for about a half-hour as controllers activate the ship's Russian KURS backup docking system and turn on its external lights. The ATV will also begin navigating with relative GPS after departing this location.

The control center in France will also test the ATV's abort and retreat commands soon.

The crew on the space station reports they have an excellent visual view of the ATV.

The ATV has arrived at the so-called S1 waypoint about 15 kilometers, or 9.3 miles, from the space station.

Meanwhile, fueling of space shuttle Discovery's large external tank has begun on the launch pad in Florida. Follow updates of the shuttle countdown here.

After more than a week of testing and orbit-changing rocket burns since launching from the coast of South America, the Johannes Kepler automated cargo freighter is closing in on the International Space Station for docking Thursday.

The massive European spacecraft is due to dock with the space station's aft port at 1549 GMT (10:49 a.m. EST), delivering rocket fuel, oxygen, research gear, spare parts and crew provisions to the lab's six-person crew.

Named for Johannes Kepler, the famous German astronomer and mathematician, the Automated Transfer Vehicle is the European Space Agency's second robotic resupply mission to the space station. The first ATV mission went off without a hitch in 2008.

The docking will occur as launch teams in Florida finish loading space shuttle Discovery's external tank with cryogenic propellants for liftoff later Thursday afternoon. Launch of Discovery is scheduled for 2150 GMT (4:50 p.m. EST).

Johannes Kepler must dock to the station before NASA will commit to launching the space shuttle. Space station managers will monitor the ship's docking before giving the green light for Discovery's blastoff.

The ATV lifted off Feb. 16 from the Guiana Space Center, a French-run spaceport on the northeastern coast of South America. The launch was delayed a day by faulty readings with the Ariane 5 rocket's liquid oxygen filling system.

NASA initially said Discovery's flight would slip a day as a result of the ATV delay. The thinking was that the ATV should dock to the space station before the shuttle launch, but NASA decided to keep Discovery's liftoff on track, concluding the likelihood of a problem with the Johannes Kepler rendezvous was low and officials would still have the opportunity to scrub Discovery's launch if there are issues.

Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri will keep watch of the ATV's final approach sequence inside the station's Zvezda service module.

Kaleri and Nespoli will be ready to issue commands to send the 33-foot-long spacecraft on retreat, abort, or escape trajectories if the crew notices any problems when the ATV is within about 817 feet of the outpost.

Johannes Kepler should reach that location, called the S3 point, by about 1421 GMT (9:21 a.m. EST). The automated cargo ship will hold there for about 36 minutes as the ATV activates its terminal phase rendezvous sensors and engineers thoroughly check the craft's health from a control center in Toulouse, France.

The craft will press closer to the station using precise navigation data derived from the ship's two videometers.

The videometers, working simultaneously with one in standby mode, fire pulses of laser light toward the station one-to-ten times per second.

Acting as space mirrors, 26 reflectors positioned on the back end of the station's Zvezda service module beamed the laser light back to the sensors on Jules Verne, creating unique light patterns captured on the ATV's cameras. The craft's advanced computers used the patterns to autonomously determine its orientation, closing rate and distance from the space station.

Two other instruments known as telegoniometers served as watchdogs during the final rendezvous, ready to take over if something went wrong with the primary system.

The telegoniometers, similar to police radar guns, emit laser light at a different wavelength toward the Zvezda reflectors up to 10,000 times per second. The light's travel time between Jules Verne and the station allow the craft determine its range, while the direction of the station is given by the angles of two built-in mirrors rotating to the aim the laser at its target.

Another hold in the approach is programmed at a distance of 62 feet for ATV engineers to review the progress of the rendezvous. Johannes Kepler is expected to stop at the S4 hold point at 1523 GMT (10:23 a.m. EST) and stay there about 15 minutes.

A final halting of the ATV's rendezvous is planned at the so-called S41 point at 1540 GMT (10:40 a.m. EST) approximately 36 feet from the back end of the station.

If systems remain ready for docking, the bus-sized spacecraft will resume its approach for docking to the Zvezda service module at 1549 GMT (10:49 a.m. EST).

The ATV is also outfitted with a Russian Kurs docking system as a backup.

Johannes Kepler is trucking more than 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel to boost the space station's orbit later this spring. Another 1,870 pounds of propellant can be transferred into the lab's fuel tanks.

The craft's pressurized cabin is carrying 3,500 pounds of dry cargo for NASA and ESA. Johannes Kepler will also deliver 220 pounds of oxygen.

A European robotic resupply spacecraft soared into orbit on an Ariane 5 rocket Wednesday, successfully beginning an eight-day chase of the International Space Station with fresh experiments, crew provisions, oxygen and propellant.

Read our full story.

Also check out photos of the launch from a viewing site and the space station.

Today's flight marked the 42nd straight success for the Ariane 5 rocket, a leading launcher on the commercial market for communications satellite missions. It was the 56th Ariane 5 mission since 1996, and 52 of those launches have been successful.

It was also the milestone 200th launch for the Ariane rocket family since Christmas Eve 1979.

ESA officials report the ATV's four solar array wings have unfurled to begin charging the ship's batteries. The solar panels stretch 73 feet tip-to-tip.

ESA officials report the ATV's four solar array wings have unfurled to begin charging the ship's batteries. The solar panels stretch 73 feet tip-to-tip.

The 10-minute solar array deployment procedure has started.

The ATV's four solar array wings should be deploying soon to start producing electricity for the spacecraft. The Johannes Kepler cargo freighter is running off of battery power right now.

Now flying near South America again, the spacecraft is about to complete its first orbit of Earth.

"This launch was exceptional," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace's chairman and CEO, commenting on today's successful Ariane 5 flight.

"We are far from saying that this is a success for the ATV," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA's director general. "Success will be declared six months from now when the mission is completed."

NASA's network of tracking and data relay satellites have established good communications with the ATV following launch.

Plus+67 minutes. The Automated Transfer Vehicle is now beginning a series of activation steps to prepare for its eight-day chase of the International Space Station. The ATV will unfurl its four solar array wings, arranged in an X-shape, beginning in about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Ariane 5 upper stage will fire its Aestus engine once more to deorbit itself in about an hour.

SPACECRAFT SEPARATION. The Automated Transfer Vehicle just deployed from the upper stage of the Ariane 5 rocket.

Plus+62 minutes. The Ariane 5 rocket is maneuvering to the correct orientation for deployment of Johannes Kepler at Plus+63 minutes, 54 seconds.

Plus+60 minutes. Second stage shutdown. The Aestus engine has turned off after this second firing to circularize the ATV's orbit. Altitude is 267 kilometers and velocity is 7.45 kilometers per second as the rocket flies over Australia.

Plus+59 minutes, 30 seconds. Second stage ignition. This burn will last for about 27 seconds.

Plus+58 minutes. Standing by for the second upper stage burn for today's launch.

Plus+40 minutes. The Aestus engine will reignite in about 19 minutes for a 27-second firing to circularize the rocket's orbit at an altitude of 161 miles. The target orbital inclination is 51.6 degrees.

Plus+25 minutes. The Ariane 5 rocket has passed out of communications tracking sites in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Azores. Ground stations in Australia and New Zealand, along with NASA's TDRSS satellite network, will monitor the second Ariane 5 upper stage burn and the deployment of Johannes Kepler, ESA's second Automated Transfer Vehicle.

Plus+17 minutes, 20 seconds. The Aestus engine has turned off after firing for about 8 minutes to place the ATV payload in a temporary parking orbit.

The Ariane is now entering a ballistic phase, in which the rocket will fly over Europe, Asia and Australia before restarting the Aestus engine to circularize its orbit at an altitude of 161 miles. The second upper stage burn is scheduled to start at Plus+59 minutes, 28 seconds, or 2250 GMT (5:50 p.m. EST).

Plus+15 minutes. The upper stage will shut down at Plus+17 minutes, 17 seconds, having reached an elliptical parking orbit with a high point of 161 miles and a low point of about 85 miles.

Plus+12 minutes. Altitude is 146 kilometers and velocity is 7.2 kilometers per second.

Plus+9 minutes, 20 seconds. Arianespace confirms the Vulcain 2 main engine of the first stage has shut down, the stage has separated and the upper stage's Aestus engine has ignited to send the ATV into a parking orbit around Earth.

Plus+8 minutes, 40 seconds. Altitude is 132 kilometers and velocity is 6.8 kilometers per second. Approaching first stage separation and second stage ignition.

Plus+7 minutes. Space station commander Scott Kelly just radioed mission control that he spotted the Ariane 5 rocket blazing a fiery trail into space.

Plus+5 minutes. Altitude is 134 kilometers and velocity is 3.2 kilometers per second.

Plus+3 minutes, 40 seconds. The Ariane 5's payload fairing has jettisoned, exposing the Johannes Kepler spacecraft now that the rocket is out of the dense atmosphere.

Plus+2 minutes, 26 seconds. The solid rocket boosters have been jettisoned from the Ariane 5 rocket's core stage. The liquid-fueled Vulcain main engine continues to fire to propel the vehicle and its satellite payload to space.

Plus+90 seconds. Burning more than 5 metric tons of fuel per second, Ariane is soaring into the sky bound for the International Space Station.

Plus+60 seconds. The Ariane 5 has roared away from the South American jungle launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. The combined power generated by the twin solid rocket boosters and liquid-fueled main stage engine are propelling this heaviest-ever Ariane payload into the overcast evening sky. The rocket has gone transonic and is nearing the region of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

Liftoff of the Ariane 5 rocket with Johannes Kepler, Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle to supply the International Space Station.

Minus-40 seconds. Ariane 5 is running on internal power.

Minus-1 minute. A fast-paced series of events leading to launch will begin at Minus-37 seconds when the automated ignition sequence is started. The water suppression system at the launch pad will start at Minus-30 seconds. At Minus-22 seconds, overall control will be given to the onboard computer. The Vulcain main engine will be readied for ignition with hydrogen chilldown starting at Minus-18 seconds.

The residual hydrogen burn flares will fire beneath the Vulcain engine at Minus-6 seconds to burn away any free hydrogen gas. At Minus-3 seconds, onboard systems take over and the two inertial guidance systems go to flight mode. Vulcain main engine ignition occurs at Minus-0 seconds with checkout between Plus+4 and 7 seconds. If there are no problems found, the solid rocket boosters are ignited at Plus+7.0 seconds for liftoff at Plus+7.3 seconds.

Minus-2 minutes. The Vulcain main engine supply valves are being opened. And the ground valves for engine chilldown are being closed.

Minus-3 minutes. The scheduled launch time has been loaded into the rocket's main computer system. The main stage tank pressures should now be at flight level.

Minus-4 minutes. Pressurization is now underway for the main cryogenic stage's liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks. Also, final pyrotechnic arming is starting.

Minus-5 minutes. All status panel lights remain green, indicating no problems right now that could prevent an on-time blastoff.

Minus-6 minutes. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen supplies of the main cryogenic stage are being verified at flight level. Also, the pyrotechnic line safety barriers are being armed.

Minus-7 minutes. The Synchronized Sequence has started. Computers are now in control of this automated final phase of the launch countdown to prepare the rocket and ground systems for liftoff. There are three computers running the countdown -- one aboard the Ariane 5 and two redundant computers at the launch complex.

Minus-8 minutes. The synchronized countdown sequence begins in one minute, transferring all control over to computers.

Minus-10 minutes. Tonight's launch opportunity is just an instant in time. Unlike most Ariane flights that feature launch windows that can extend as much as a couple of hours, this ATV mission has just one second for the rocket to blast off. The precise launch time is 2150:55 GMT.

Minus-13 minutes. There are rain drops on the camera lens at the Ariane launch pad, but right now all systems are "go" for launch.

Minus-15 minutes. The ATV has switched to on-board power and the weather is "trending toward green" for liftoff, according to ESA.

Minus-17 minutes. At the time of launch, the International Space Station will be flying over the Peru-Bolivia border in South America.

Minus-18 minutes. Controllers at the Automated Transfer Vehicle's nerve center in France report they are "go" for launch.

Minus-21 minutes. The Synchronized Sequence is being prepped for activation. This computer-run sequence assumes control of the countdown at the Minus-7 minute mark to perform the final tasks to place the rocket and pad systems in launch configuration. At Minus-4 seconds, the rocket's onboard computer will take over control of main engine start, health checks of the powerplant and solid rocket booster ignition commanding for liftoff.

Minus-35 minutes. Although the launch time is being advertised as 2150:55 GMT (4:50:55 p.m. EST), liftoff will actually occur seven seconds later. The countdown is timed for the moment of ignition of the Ariane 5's first stage Vulcain engine. The 16-story rocket will rise from the pad seven seconds later when the twin solid rocket boosters fire.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle, christened Johannes Kepler, will be deployed 64 minutes later. The craft will dock with the space station Feb. 24 at 1545 GMT (10:45 a.m. EST).

The impact of yesterday's launch delay on space shuttle Discovery's mission is unclear. After initially reporting Discovery's launch would move one day to Feb. 25 to accommodate the Ariane 5 scrub, NASA now says such a decision would not be made until the shuttle's flight readiness review Friday.

NASA wants the ATV to reach the space station before launching Discovery for safety reasons. If the Ariane 5 doesn't get off the ground by Friday, the ATV's docking could be pushed back until around March 9, several days after the shuttle leaves the complex.

Minus-45 minutes. If you're interested in following along during today's Ariane 5 launch, bookmark this timeline of crucial events during the flight.

Minus-60 minutes. The weather at the launch site continues to be the only concern for an on-time liftoff this evening.

Minus-3 hours. At this point in the countdown, all systems are "go" for launch. The rocket and the ATV spacecraft are both showing a "green" status. The weather is expected to be acceptable, but it could be better, officials report. There is a chance of lightning over the launch site.

Fueling of the Ariane 5 rocket's first stage is underway. The launcher's main stage is powered by a Vulcain 2 engine producing about 300,000 pounds of thrust during a 9-minute burn to send the Ariane 5 toward space.

The first stage tanks hold about 385,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. It has a diameter of 17.7 feet and stands about 100 feet tall.

The weather forecast in Kourou this evening looks favorable for launch, but a NASA spokesperson says there is a 25 percent chance of lightning in the area that could prompt a delay.

The launch team is in a posture to conduct another launch attempt tomorrow should the need arise, according to NASA.

The countdown has restarted for the launch of Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle. Yesterday's launch countdown was halted by a measurement anomaly in the Ariane 5 rocket's first stage liquid oxygen tank, according to the European Space Agency.

Liftoff today is scheduled for 2150:55 GMT (4:50:55 p.m. EST). The launch window is instantaneous, meaning any delay would result in another one-day slip in the flight.

The ATV's docking to the space station is also pushed back one day to Feb. 24 by yesterday's launch scrub. The changed docking date means space shuttle Discovery's launch would move to Feb. 25 if the Ariane 5 rocket gets off the ground this evening.

If the Ariane 5 does launch tomorrow, the result will be a 24-hour delay to space shuttle Discovery's planned liftoff next week. The sliding schedule would see ATV dock with the space station on Feb. 24, a day later than originally scheduled because of today's scrub. Discovery would then launch on Feb. 25.

Tomorrow's launch time for sending ATV 2 to the International Space Station will be 2150:55 GMT (4:50:55 p.m. EST).

"Well as you have seen during the final countdown one of the (status panel) lights went red. Since we had no launch window, there will be no other attempt. From what I was told, there was an erroneous piece of data coming from the filling of the launcher. Our teams are already working on that to see what is happening and to try another attempt tomorrow. I'm sorry, but you know this is a difficult exercise and it doesn't work a hundred percent of the time," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman and CEO of Arianespace.

SCRUB. Today's launch of the Ariane 5 rocket has been postponed because there's only a single moment in time for liftoff each day to rendezvous with the International Space Station. This unplanned technical problem that stopped the countdown means the launch won't be possible today.

The countdown has been halted at Minus-4 minutes and 1 second.

HOLD.

Minus-5 minutes and counting. Status panels in the control center remain green, indicating all systems are "go" for liftoff tonight.

Minus-6 minutes and counting. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen supplies of the main cryogenic stage are being verified at flight level. Also, the pyrotechnic line safety barriers are being armed.

Minus-7 minutes and counting. The Synchronized Sequence has started. Computers are now in control of this automated final phase of the launch countdown to prepare the rocket and ground systems for liftoff. There are three computers running the countdown -- one aboard the Ariane 5 and two redundant computers at the launch complex.

Minus-10 minutes. Today's launch opportunity is just an instant in time. Unlike most Ariane launches that feature launch windows that can extend as much as a couple hours, this ATV mission has just one second for the rocket to blast off. The precise launch time is 2213:27 GMT.

Minus-12 minutes. It is dusk at the Guiana Space Center. All systems are reported "green" indicating their readiness for an on-time launch, according to Arianespace, the Ariane 5's commercial launch provider.

Minus-15 minutes. The Ariane 5 rocket has just an instant to blast off today or else wait until tomorrow. The launch is timed for when the Earth's rotation carries the French Guiana launch site into the plane of the International Space Station's orbit.

Minus-20 minutes. Today's launch will be the 200th flight of the Ariane rocket family since its first mission on Christmas Eve 1979.

It is the 56th launch of an Ariane 5 rocket, which has built up a reliable record of 41 straight successful flights since 2003.

Minus-25 minutes. The astronauts aboard the International Space Station have requested to receive live streaming video of the launch of the Automated Transfer Vehicle.

Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratyev and Oleg Skripochka are preparing for a spacewalk outside the complex tomorrow morning. The duo will install experiments and complete other maintenance tasks.

Live video of today's Ariane 5 launch should be appearing in the window above these updates.

Minus-33 minutes. The ATV control center in Toulouse, France, and the International Space Station partners are "go" for launch right now.

Minus-37 minutes. The weather also looks acceptable for today's launch, according to ESA.

Minus-48 minutes. ESA officials report the first stage has been loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. The cryogenic fluids will be replenished through the rest of the countdown as they naturally boil off in the tropical environment of the Guiana Space Center.

The Ariane 5 rocket's main stage has been fueled with more than 55,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen and 330,000 pounds of liquid oxygen propellants. All rocket systems are reported "go" for flight at this time.

The ATV is also reported to be in good shape for launch at 2213:27 GMT (5:13:27 p.m. EST). It will be 7:13 p.m. local time in French Guiana.

Minus-60 minutes. If you're interested in following along during today's Ariane 5 launch, bookmark this timeline of crucial events during the flight.

It will take nearly 64 minutes for the 16-story rocket to deliver the 44,000-pound Automated Transfer Vehicle to a 161-mile-high orbit.

Minus-90 minutes. Just an hour-and-a-half until the second Automated Transfer Vehicle will be on its way to the International Space Station atop the powerful Ariane 5 booster. At this point in the countdown, filling of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks should be in the topping mode.

Coming up in about 20 minutes, continuity checks between the Ariane 5 rocket and the tracking, telemetry relay and commanding systems will be verified.

The countdown is entering the final two hours until launch. The European Space Agency reports the Automated Transfer Vehicle was switched on earlier this afternoon in preparation for launch.

Check out photos of yesterday's rollout of the 16-story Ariane 5 rocket to the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana.

The rocket was transferred on a mobile launch table from the final assembly building to the ELA-3 launch zone. The 1.6-mile journey took place on rail tracks between the facilities.

These photos were taken by European Space Agency photographer Stephane Corvaja.

The countdown began on schedule this morning in Kourou for the blastoff of the Ariane 5 rocket to propel the second Automated Transfer Vehicle into orbit. Preparations are underway for fueling the rocket's main stage with super cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen soon.

The European Space Agency is gearing up to launch an automated cargo freighter Tuesday for the International Space Station, continuing a wave of resupply missions to the orbiting lab from three continents.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle, Europe's second such spacecraft, is due for liftoff at 2213:27 GMT (5:13:27 p.m. EST) aboard an Ariane 5 rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center.

Read our full story.