After 16 days in space and 250 orbits of the Earth, space shuttle Endeavour touched down at 8:39 p.m. EDT Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bringing the STS-123 mission to a flawless end.

But for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), whose Kibo laboratory module is finally taking shape aboard the International Space Station, this flight was merely the beginning.

"We are quite honored that Mr. Doi contributed to the construction of the space station," said JAXA vice president Kaoru Mamiya, referring to STS-123 Mission Specialist Takao Doi. "It's the first step for our Kibo construction, and we hope that next time, the main module will be added to the station."