STS-124
Kibo Pressurized Module and Japanese Robotic Arm
STS-124 delivered Kibo's large Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System, creating the main laboratory volume of the Japanese Experiment Module.
Mission type
Crewed Space Shuttle assembly mission
Launch
May 31, 2008
Mission end / docking
June 14, 2008
Launch vehicle / spacecraft
Space Shuttle Discovery
Objective
What this ISS mission set out to accomplish
Deliver the main pressurized laboratory of Kibo and its robotic arm so Japan could begin full-scale internal research operations aboard the ISS.
This record treats STS-124 as an assembly or station-support mission rather than as a satellite engineering page, keeping the mission objective separate from the hardware-level ISS engineering record.
Flight and rendezvous
How the mission reached and worked at the station
STS-124 launched on May 31, 2008 using Space Shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Center, Launch Pad 39A.
Discovery carried the large cylindrical module to the station. Robotic operations moved it from the shuttle bay to Harmony, while crews connected utilities and relocated the earlier logistics module to its planned position.
Hardware and assembly
What was delivered, installed, or reconfigured
Primary hardware or assembly focus: Kibo Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System.
Installation record: Kibo Pressurized Module installed in June 2008. This is the engineering connection between the mission story and the interactive International Space Station breakdown.
Outcome
What changed on the International Space Station
Kibo gained its primary pressurized laboratory and robotic capability, leaving the exposed research platform as the major remaining assembly element.
The documented result makes STS-124 part of the larger ISS assembly chain, where individual missions progressively added structure, power, laboratories, robotics, thermal control, logistics, and crew-support systems.
Continue exploring
Follow the connected story
Open the International Space Station engineering page
See the station modules, truss systems, solar arrays, robotics, and launch/install history in the interactive engineering experience.
Browse launch records
Compare this mission with other launches and ISS assembly flights.
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Explore other TransitSatellite mission stories.