Ariane 5 Rocket

ISS026-E-027303 (16 Feb. 2011) --- The Expedition 26 crew member aboard the International Space Station who snapped this photograph of the Ariane 5 rocket, just after lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and the rest of the crew have a special interest in the occurrence. ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle, Johannes Kepler, was just a short time earlier (21:50 GMT or 18:50 Kourou time on Feb. 16, 2011) launched toward its targeted low orbit and eventual link-up with the ISS. The unmanned supply ship is planned to deliver critical supplies and reboost the space station during its almost four-month mission.