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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 · Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verified

Track Int-Ball at International Space Station

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Machine-readable surfaces

Delivered 2017-06-04 (SpaceX CRS-11). Initial checkout 2017 with astronauts Whitson, Fischer, Kanai. Active testing through 2017-2018. First JAXA autonomous camera drone in microgravity under remote ground control. Succeeded by Int-Ball2 (launched 2023-06, SpaceX CRS-28), which entered regular service 2024. Original Int-Ball is no longer active aboard ISS.

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

Safety record

No incidents on record for Int-Ball at International Space Station.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-07-10
Model
Int-Ball
Company
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Location
International Space Station
Status
ended
Operator type
maker operated
First seen
2017-06-03
ID
2e9da3c2-566e-4db1-b2cf-fce4586b44c1

Timeline

  1. Jun 2017
    First recorded
    Int-Ball first documented operating at International Space Station.
  2. Jun 2017
    created
  3. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → JAXA: First disclosure of images taken by the Kibo's internal drone Int-Ball
  4. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → IEEE: Int-Ball: Crew-Supportive Autonomous Mobile Camera Robot on ISS/JEM
  5. Jun 2026
    verification state change
    status: active → ended
  6. Jul 2026
    Current status: ended, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

Int-Ball operates in International Space Station. Explore the full verified map:

Sources (3)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Int-Ball
  2. https://iss.jaxa.jp/en/kiboexp/news/170714_int_ball_en.html
  3. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8741689/
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-10

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-10

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: research

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source
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 no longer operating at this location.
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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