Space shuttle Endeavour is presently catching up with the International Space Station (ISS) prior to the time that was expected for the docking of the spaceship, NASA reported.

On board the ship are Commander Mark Kelly, mission specialists Greg Chamitoff, Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustal, pilot Gregory H Johnson and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Roberto Vittori.

The crew will be met by ISS Expedition 27 commander Dmitry Kondratyev, flight engineers Alexander Samokutyaev and Andrey Borisenko, ESA’s Paolo Nespoli and NASA’s Ron Garan and Cady Coleman.

NASA officials, in a report, elaborated the mutual group of 12 will start a 12 day operation while the spaceships are docked. This will include installing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 and four spacewalks. The crew will then operate the shuttle and station’s robotic arms to relocate the auxiliary parts carrier, Express Logistics Carrier 3, from the shuttle to the station. Amidst items on it are an extra ammonia tank, two S-band antennas, a high-pressure oxygen tank and 10 circuit breakers.

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