The 6th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge: Final Round Results and Side Event Report

On February 28, 2026, the On-Orbit Final Round of the 6th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC) was held. A total of 13 teams (Table 1), which had advanced through national and regional preliminary rounds, took part in the competition. Using programs developed by the students, the teams controlled Astrobee, a drone robot operated by NASA inside the International Space Station (ISS) Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo”. They competed in both the accuracy of image recognition and the speed of completing mission tasks.
Unlike simulations, the actual environment inside the ISS includes disturbances such as airflow and other unexpected behaviors. As a result, teams were required to develop highly robust programs capable of handling these conditions. This year, the team from Taiwan, iTron, won first place in the competition.

As in previous years, the event was held in a hybrid format at the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center and online, with four teams from Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand taking part in the event at the Tsukuba Space Center.

After the On-Orbit Final Round, a Side Event for the Simulator Competition was held, where the JAXA Simulation Award was presented. This competition incorporated uncertainties such as variations in lighting brightness and “gravity jitter,” which simulates acceleration fluctuations that are recurrent during docking between the Space Shuttle and the ISS. These elements created a different type of challenge compared with the real environment. As in the On-Orbit Final Round, teams needed robust programming capable of completing the mission reliably under any conditions.

The video of the event is now available on the JAXA YouTube channel—please take a look.

At the beginning of the event, a welcome message was delivered by SHIRAKAWA Masaki, Director of the Space Environment Utilization Center at JAXA. This was followed by an overview of the competition presented by Professor NAKASUKA Shinichi of the University of Tokyo, JAXA Astronaut KANAI Norishige, and MC MIYAGAWA Yayoi. In addition, Dave BARNHART, CEO of Arkisys, the company operating Astrobee, and a professor at the University of Southern California, delivered a greeting online.
After the explanation of the game rules, the Opening Remarks were given by NASA Astronaut Christopher WILLIAMS, marking the start of the Final Round competition. (Figure 2) (Program: Table 2)

This year, image recognition was once again a key element of the competition. Each team adopted its own strategy, with some using machine-learning techniques based on AI and others relying on pattern matching.
In addition, a new element called the “Oasis Zone” was introduced this year. When passing through this zone, teams could earn bonus points depending on the duration of their stay and the distance to the image recognition targets. However, certain routes that included the Oasis Zone could also require additional time, leading to significantly different strategic choices among the teams.
After introducing their teams, the students observed how the Astrobee, which was running their programs, moved around Kibo and whether it was able to complete its mission successfully. (Figure 3)

While some teams successfully completed their missions, others struggled to adapt to the differences between the simulation environment used in the Preliminary Round and the actual environment inside the ISS. (Results for each team: Table 3)

After all the teams were introduced and their runs were observed, the results of the Final Round were announced.

The first-place winner, “iTron”, participated in the event at the Tsukuba Space Center, and was presented with a certificate of commendation in person by Astronaut KANAI. “Automen”, which came second, and “Inflection Point”, which came third, participated online, and their certificates of commendation will be sent to them at a later date. In addition, all awardees will receive plaques.

After the On-Orbit Final Round Event, there was a side event in which teams competed in a simulator environment. Following an explanation of the rules, the runs of each team were commentated live by Professor NAKASUKA Shinichi and Astronaut KANAI Norishige.

The first-place winner, “iTron”, participated in the event at the Tsukuba Space Center and was presented with a certificate of commendation by Astronaut KANAI in person. “StarStrikers” participated online from a NASA facility, while “Narantaka GMAT” joined in a hybrid format, both on-site and online. Certificates will be sent later to participants who joined online, and award medals will be sent to the awardees.

After the Final Round Event and the Side Event, a workshop, a social gathering, and a tour of the Mission Control Room at the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center were held exclusively for the participating students, providing an opportunity for international exchange.

Thanks to the cooperation of the space agencies and research institutions of the participating countries and a region, as well as the students who worked hard to create and submit their programs without giving up, we were able to successfully hold the 6th Kibo-RPC. We hope that everything the students learned and experienced at this event will be useful to them in the future.

The 7th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge is currently being planned. Further details will be announced when the application period opens, and we warmly encourage students to participate.