Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Edwards AFB. The launch was originally planned for May 04, 1992. To get better photos from the launching shuttle a new launch date was set two days later. Due to bad weather at the emergency landing places (Transoceanic Abort Landing) the countdown was stopped for 34 minutes.

This was the maiden flight of the orbiter Endeavour. The primary goal of its nine-day mission was to retrieve the Intelsat VI satellite, which failed to leave low earth orbit two years before, attach it to a new upper stage, and relaunch it to its intended geosynchronous orbit.

The first EVA was performed by Pierre Thuot and Richard Hieb on May 10, 1992 (3h 43m) to capture the stranded Intelsat VI-F3-satellite (failed). The second unscheduled EVA was again conducted by Pierre Thuot and Richard Hieb on May 11, 1992 (5h 26m) for the same work, but again failed.

The third and again unscheduled EVA was performed by Thomas Akers, Pierre Thuot and Richard Hieb on May 13, 1992 (8h 29m). This time the astronauts were succesful, when they captured Intelsat with their hands and not with the capture bar. It was the first time in the history of manned spaceflight, that three astronauts performed an EVA at the same time. The satellite was repaired (new perigee kick motor) and then again released into orbit.

The fourth EVA by Thomas Akers and Kathryn Thornton occured on May 14, 1992 (7h 45m) to test EVA tools and structures, for exmple the Crew Propulsive Device, a gas gun for moving around.

Other "payloads of opportunity" experiments conducted included: Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG), Ultraviolet Plume Imager (UVPI) and the Air Force Maui Optical Station (AMOS) investigation. The mission was extended two days to complete the objectives.

STS-49 first used a drag chute during a Shuttle landing on the runway.