JAXA has started accepting applications from teams to participate in the 7th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), which will be held from FY2026 to FY2027. Based on the English article content.

Kibo-RPC is a robot programming competition set aboard “Kibo,” the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station (ISS). Participants develop programs to autonomously control an internal ISS robot and compete by completing assigned tasks as quickly and accurately as possible. In the 7th competition, participants will control JAXA’s Int-Ball 2 for the first time using the programs they develop.

Eligibility
Students up to graduate level from Kibo-RPC participating countries and regions, including Japan.

Application Period
July 6, 2026 – September 30, 2026, 23:59 (JST)

For details on the competition and how to participate, please refer to the web site below.

On August 22, 2023, the International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board (ISS MCB Meeting) was held at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in United States, and JAXA participated as a member of the ISS Partnership.

The ISS MCB Meeting serves as the top-level international coordination meeting for the ISS program, where important matters related to the operations and utilization of the ISS are regularly discussed.

This meeting marked the first of its kind after Canada, Europe, Russia, Japan, and the United States each committed to participating in the extension of ISS operations beyond 2025. Representatives from each partner discussed topics related to the operation of the ISS as an orbital laboratory, including crucial research and technology demonstrations for future space exploration. Furthermore, they discussed the role and utilization of the ISS for the benefit of humanity, as well as its role in commercial economic activities in Low Earth Orbit in the 2030s and the expansion of human activities to the Moon and beyond.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was issued: