A European cargo ship the size of a London double-decker bus bid farewell to the International Space Station late Friday after five months docked at the orbiting laboratory. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) space freighter Jules Verne, the first of a new fleet of Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV), undocked from the station at 5:29 p.m. EDT (2129 GMT) to begin a leisurely, 23-day descent and destruction.

European Cargo Ship Departs Space Station | LiveScience