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Deployment

Int-Ball at International Space Station

JAXA JEM Internal Ball Camera: a free-flying, self-propelled spherical camera drone inside the ISS Japanese Experiment Module, controlled by JAXA ground operators to record crew operations (offloading photo/video chores from astronauts). Autonomous free-flight and station-keeping; tasking is ground-directed. Int-Ball 1 launched 2017-06-03; Int-Ball2 (2023-06-06) adds a stereo camera, IMU and autonomous docking.

Int-Ball by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency · Operated by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency · Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified

Track Int-Ball at International Space Station

Machine-readable surfaces

Key facts

Mission
JEM Internal Ball Camera
Site
ISS Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo)
Status
Int-Ball 1 (2017) plus Int-Ball2 (2023-06-06) operating; ground-directed free-flying camera
Trust tier
Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-06-06
Model
Int-Ball
Company
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Location
International Space Station
Operator
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Status
active
First seen
2017-06-03
ID
2e9da3c2-566e-4db1-b2cf-fce4586b44c1

Sources (1)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Int-Ball
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-06

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-06

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: research

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Int-Ball at International Space Station.

Common questions

What is the Int-Ball deployment at International Space Station?
Int-Ball, built by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is recorded as a deployment at International Space Station on the DEPLOY registry. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Int-Ball at International Space Station?
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the manufacturer of Int-Ball, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Int-Ball deployment at International Space Station go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting June 3, 2017 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Is the Int-Ball deployment at International Space Station still active?
As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is currently operating.
Have there been incidents at the Int-Ball deployment at International Space Station?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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