The official departure ceremony of Node 3 took place at the site of ESA’s Node 3 prime contractor Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, on May 16th.

The final European-built permanent module for the International Space Station is now on the way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prior to its launch early next year. Node 3 is the last element of a barter agreement signed in Turin in 1997 by which ESA supplied NASA with International Space Station (ISS) hardware, including two Node modules (Node 2 and 3). In return, NASA ferried the European Columbus laboratory to the ISS in February 2008. Node 3 has evolved over the years from a connecting module into a very complex element, able to accommodate sophisticated crew and life support equipment and is now a much more complex element with many more capabilities than originally foreseen. Node 3 will provide important functions such as life support for the ISS crew and it will also be the home of the European-built Cupola observation module with which it will launch. Cupola allows for a 360 degrees view of the Station and Earth to monitor robotics operations and to observe our home planet. Together with the Cupola, Node 3 will provide an unprecedented capability for the ISS, and both modules will help in the efficient exploitation of ISS operations and provide the accommodation for facilities intended to improve the well-being of the crew. Node 3 was transported by an Airbus Beluga aircraft to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 17 May from Turin Airport. Once it has arrived, Thales Alenia Space will add the final touches before ownership is officially transferred to NASA at the end of October.