Before the retirement of shuttle fleet, NASA will launch Space Shuttle Endeavour on February 7, which will be the first of five launches this year. Endeavour which is on a
13-day mission to the international space station will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA informed that this mission encompasses there space walks. NASA also prepares to withdraw its space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis later this year.

Bill Gerstenmaier, chief of space flight operation confidently stated, "We reviewed all aspects of the shuttle and the space station. It was an extremely thorough review. We set the launch date for February 7 at 4:39 and so far, things look pretty good". Three spacewalks by Behnken and Patrick are planned before undocking February 17 and landing back at the Kennedy Space Center around 11:16 p. m. on February 19.

Launch Director Mike Leinbach told reporters that Endeavour's processing was going smoothly and was in outstanding shape. He further added, "We're not looking at any problems, we have a good, low constraints count now in the firing room, so really in great shape there".

NASA has planned that the astronauts will affix Tranquility to the left port of the Central Unity Module. Electrical and data lines will be connected, and will bind the new module into the station's two independent ammonia coolant loops.