The Jules Verne cargo spacecraft built for the European Space Agency (ESA) undocked from the International Space Station, the ESA announced.

That Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is a disposable craft, and will be demolished in a controlled reentry Sept. 29.

Hatches between the space station and ATV were closed by the station crew following ATV preparation for automated undocking.

Once all other pre-undocking tasks had been performed, the ATV hooks were opened, detaching the robotic logistics vehicle from the station, with a spring mechanism pushing it slowly away.

After drifting unpowered for one minute to move three meters (9.84 feet) from the station, the ATV deployed its smaller attitude control thrusters to start its departure boost and distance itself farther.

Within 22 minutes of undocking, the ATV was right below the ISS at a distance of about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), at which point its automatic emergency systems (which can initiate a station collision avoidance manoeuvre in the unlikely event of this being necessary) were disabled.