Image: NASA
STS-123
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2008-03-11 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Launch vehicle | Space Shuttle |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2008-03-26 |
| Duration | 15 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes |
| Partners | JAXA, Canadian Space Agency |
Overview
Endeavour's pre-dawn launch at 2:28 a.m. EDT on 11 March 2008 opened one of the most ambitious assembly flights in International Space Station history. The 25th shuttle mission to the station carried contributions from two partner agencies at once: the Experiment Logistics Module–Pressurized Section, the first element of Japan's Kibo laboratory complex, and Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. After docking on 13 March, the crew berthed the Japanese logistics module to the Harmony node and, across multiple spacewalks, assembled Dextre's arms and tool systems on a pallet in the payload bay. Five EVAs in total — the most of any shuttle visit to the ISS — also tested a heat-shield repair material and stowed the orbiter's inspection boom on the station for the next flight. Mission specialist Bob Behnken, later to pilot the first commercial crew flight, performed three of the spacewalks. Endeavour stayed docked for a record 11 days, 20 hours and 36 minutes, exchanging station crew members along the way: Garrett Reisman remained aboard while ESA's Léopold Eyharts came home. A rare night landing at Kennedy Space Center at 8:39 p.m. EDT on 26 March closed a flight of 15 days and 18 hours.
Crew
Dominic L. Gorie
Commander
Fourth spaceflight
Gregory H. Johnson
Pilot
First spaceflight; later piloted STS-134
Bob Behnken
Mission Specialist
First spaceflight; performed three EVAs and later piloted SpaceX Demo-2
Michael Foreman
Mission Specialist
First spaceflight; performed three EVAs
Richard M. Linnehan
Mission Specialist
Led Dextre assembly across three spacewalks
Takao Doi
Mission Specialist (JAXA)
Oversaw delivery of Japan's first ISS module
Garrett Reisman
Mission Specialist (up)
Remained aboard the ISS for Expeditions 16/17
Léopold Eyharts
Flight Engineer (ESA, down)
Returned to Earth after Expedition 16
Key Milestones
2008-03-11
Endeavour launches from pad 39A at 2:28 a.m. EDT
2008-03-13
Docks with the ISS, beginning a record 11-day, 20-hour stay
2008-03-14
First EVA; Japan's Kibo logistics module (ELM-PS) is berthed to the Harmony node
2008-03-18
Assembly of Canada's Dextre robotic 'handyman' is completed during the third spacewalk
2008-03-22
Fifth spacewalk — the most EVAs performed on any shuttle mission to the ISS
2008-03-26
Night landing at Kennedy Space Center at 8:39 p.m. EDT
Key Achievements
Delivered the Experiment Logistics Module–Pressurized Section, the first element of Japan's Kibo laboratory and Japan's first human-rated space facility
Delivered and assembled Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic manipulator
Conducted five spacewalks, the most of any shuttle mission to the International Space Station
Set the record for the longest shuttle stay docked to the ISS — 11 days, 20 hours, 36 minutes
Rotated station crew, delivering Garrett Reisman and returning ESA's Léopold Eyharts
Legacy & Significance
STS-123 embodied the International Space Station at its most international: a single shuttle flight carrying Japan's first piece of crewed orbital real estate and Canada's robotic handyman, installed by a crew that included astronauts from three agencies. Dextre went on to take over external maintenance tasks that once demanded spacewalks, extending the safe working life of the station, while the Kibo logistics module was the vanguard of what became the ISS's largest laboratory complex. The mission also launched the spaceflight career of Bob Behnken, who twelve years later piloted SpaceX's Demo-2 — the flight that returned crewed launches to American soil after the shuttle's retirement.
