ESA plans departure ceremony for Node 3

The European Space Agency says it will hold a ceremony to mark the departure of its Node 3 module, built for the International Space Station.

The node will be shipped May 17 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Node 3 connecting module, built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, is the last element of a barter agreement by which ESA supplied NASA with International Space Station hardware. In return, NASA ferried the European Columbus laboratory to the ISS in February 2008.

Once in space, Node 3 — named Tranquility by NASA — will house many of the space station’s environmental control and life-support systems.

Node 3 will also be the home of the European-built observation post Cupola, which allows a 360-degree view of the station and Earth, enabling scientists to monitor robotics operations and observe the planet.

Ownership of the node will be officially transferred to NASA at the end of September.

Space shuttle Endeavour, which is to deliver Tranquility and Cupola to the ISS on flight STS-130, is scheduled for launch Dec. 10.