A veteran space flier, Navy Capt. Dominic L. Gorie, commanded the STS-123 shuttle mission to deliver the Japanese Kibo Logistics Module and the Canadian Dextre robotics system to the International Space Station. Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson served as pilot. Mission specialists included Richard M. Linnehan, Air Force Maj. Robert L. Behnken, Navy Capt. Michael J. Foreman and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takao Doi. STS-123 was the first spaceflight for Johnson, Behnken and Foreman.
The mission delivered NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman to the station and returned European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts to Earth.