Article Posted on : - Feb 20, 2010

Space Shuttle Endeavour Pilot Terry Virts works inside the International Space Station's new cupola, with the Atlantic Ocean visible through the windows. A NASA TV photo.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (BNS): The space shuttle Endeavour has undocked from the International Space Station after delivering a final connecting hub and an observation deck, completing U.S. assembly of the orbital complex.

The joint docked mission between the crews of the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour came to an end on Friday evening to begin the voyage back to Earth. Endeavour is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida on Sunday, a NASA statement said.

Ten days after arriving with the Tranquility connecting hub and the dome-shaped cupola, Endeavour departed the station at 7:54 p.m. EST (0054 GMT on Saturday), with pilot Terry Virts at the controls.

Four more shuttle missions remain to stock the station and deliver science experiments before NASA retires its three-ship fleet later this year. The station, a $100 billion project of 16 nations, has been under construction 220 miles above Earth since 1998, reports said.