CCD47-20 (charge coupled device) as used in the SED16 Startracker, as used in Jules Verne ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) for International Space Station

This CCD was used in the launch of the European Space Agency's Jules Verne spacecraft, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle to be sent to the International Space Station.

The CCD was crucial to two key assets of the mission, the first was for the SED16 Star Tracker that determined the position of a spacecraft in relation to stars and the other was the Jules Verne videometer which was the main docking sensor for the spacecraft.

The Jules Verne ATV took nearly 7 tonnes of cargo to the ISS, and is the most powerful automatic spaceship ever built, an unmanned ATV is essential in taking supplies to the ISS every 18 months for the permanent crew.