Columbus (ISS module)

Columbus
Columbus as seen by Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-127
Module statistics
Part ofInternational Space Station
Launch date7 February 2008, 19:45 UTC
Launch vehicleSpace Shuttle Atlantis
Berthed11 February 2008 (Harmony starboard)
Hans Schlegel working on outfitting Columbus
One instrument mounted on Columbus was ISS-RapidScat, and this graphic shows the location of Columbus and where that instrument was mounted on the Module. The instrument was installed in 2014 and operated until 2016.

Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station (ISS) and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Like the Harmony and Tranquility modules, the Columbus laboratory was constructed in Turin, Italy by Thales Alenia Space. The functional equipment and software of the lab was designed by EADS in Bremen, Germany. It was also integrated in Bremen before being flown to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in an Airbus Beluga. It was launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on 7 February 2008, on flight STS-122. It is designed for ten years of operation. The module is controlled by the Columbus Control Centre, located at the German Space Operations Center, part of the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany.

The European Space Agency has spent €1.4 billion (about US$2 billion) on building Columbus, including the experiments it carries and the ground control infrastructure necessary to operate them.[1]

  1. ^ Harwood, William (11 February 2008). "Station arm pulls Columbus module from cargo bay". Spaceflightnow.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2009.