Beginning at 2:15 am EDT, controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston used one of the station's robotic arms to remove the 1,400-kg (3,086-lb) inflatable habitat module from the depressurized trunk of the unmanned Dragon cargo ship, which docked with the ISS on April 11. Over a four-hour period, the deflated BEAM was guided to Tranquility's aft assembly port, where station astronauts attached it using common berthing mechanism controls at 5:36 am EDT.

The first human-rated inflatable structure to fly in space, the BEAM is intended to test the feasibility of expandable module technology, which could provide living and working areas for astronauts while reducing launch costs. It was flown to the ISS aboard the Dragon, which launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 on April 8.

In May, a pressurization system will be activated to use air stored within the fabric module to inflate it to a length of four m (13 ft) and a diameter of 3.23 m (10.6 ft). A week later, astronauts will enter it briefly for the first time for inspection.