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The spacecraft was used to fuel the International Space Station (pictured). [Reuters]

The European Space Agency says a huge air transport freighter has been destroyed after a successful mission from the International Space Station.

The agency says the ATV 2 was sent on a steep descent from orbit to burn up over the South Pacific.

It says any debris that survived atmospheric friction should land in an uninhabited zone in the South Pacific, about 3,000 kilometres east of New Zealand.

The ATV 2 was launched from the European space base in French Guiana and provided the ISS with more than six tonnes of food, water, oxygen and other essentials.

The spacecraft is the second of five supply ships being destroyed.

At the end of their mission, the ATVs are laden with rubbish, human waste and unwanted hardware before undocking from the station and then "de-orbiting.

Earlier, Charlotte Beskow, a project manager at the European Space Agency, told Pacific Beat there was no danger of the spacecraft hitting anything.

"At the moment it's packed with 1200 kilograms of garbage to be trashed from the ISS - electronics and the rest," she said.