The cargo is to be loaded aboard the Jules Verne -- the ESA's first Automated Transfer Vehicle -- and will eventually be shipped to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

The cargo items on board the Jules Verne's inaugural flight early next year include spare parts for the European Columbus laboratory.

The European dry cargo also contains several public relations items, such as a luxury 19th century edition of the book "De la Terre a la Lune" (From the Earth to the Moon) and two original manuscripts on space and astronomy, all of which were written by visionary French author Jules Verne.

A further 2,250 pounds of dry cargo -- including crew provisions, food and replacement units for the ISS -- is being prepared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at U.S. facilities.