The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) invites Filipino students from elementary to graduate levels to join the 6th Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC)! 

Organized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Kibo-RPC is an international challenge where teams of 3-8 students will code a program that will move Astrobee to designated locations within the Japanese “Kibo” module aboard the International Space Station (ISS).   

Astrobee is a free-flying robotic system by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that helps astronauts reduce the time they spend on routine duties. These autonomous or remotely controlled robots can perform tasks such as taking inventory, documenting experiments, and moving small items throughout the ISS.  

As a member of the Kibo-ABC, PhilSA will lead and organize the local call for proposals for the 6th Kibo-RPC in the Philippines.  

Challenge Scenario  

The space pirate IB-1 (Int-Ball the First) has hidden the space treasures he collected somewhere on the “Kibo” module of the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut aboard the ISS has clues to find the hidden treasure, but the exact location is unknown. 

Previous research has identified several possible sites where the treasure may be hidden, and landmarks have been found nearby. 

The search procedure is as follows: 

Can you grab the treasure hidden by the Space Pirate IB-1 before your rivals find it? 

Check out the links below for more information on developing your Astrobee programs: 

  1. Guidebook 
  2. Challenge Guidance Session Video link  
  3. NASA repository for programming Astrobee – GitHub-1  
  4. NASA repository for programming Astrobee – GitHub-2  
  5. NASA Astrobee website  
  6. JAXA Kibo-RPC website 

Create your team and register through this link on or before 12 May 2025, 10:59PM PhST. 

Teams will only be able to access the program simulator AFTER registration. 

Eligibility requirements  

Team composition  

Each team must be composed of three (3) to eight (8) members. Filipino students of all levels who live in one of the Kibo-ABC member countries/regions, such as the Philippines, are qualified to apply.  

Exceptions may be made in cases such as below:   

  1. Student guardians, teachers, and other non-students may be eligible to compete as long as they are not professional programmers.
  2. Students studying outside their country may be allowed to form a team representing their country in the place in which they are studying.  

Should any of these apply to your team, please contact PhilSA through the email written at the bottom of the page.  

Please note that applicants under 18 years old must first obtain parental/guardian consent. 

Team Leader  

Each team shall have a representative to manage the team as its leader. A student or guardian (or teacher) on the team may be the team representative. The team representative is responsible for:  

  1. Managing the team’s programming progress
  2. Submitting the application forms
  3. Submitting the programs 
  4. Correspondence with the POC in your country/region and secretariat.  

Other Conditions  

The following skills and knowledge are preferred but not required:  

  1. Android programming and image processing with Java
  2. Knowledge of college-level physics and mathematics

These skills may be required in delivering the results in the competition. During application, please review the Kibo-RPC Entry Agreement and Consent Confirmation in the online Application Form.  

About the Kibo-ABC program  

The Kibo-ABC program or Asian Beneficial Collaboration through Kibo Utilization was established by the Space Frontier Working Group (SFWG) of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) to promote the utilization and share the value of the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo,” enhance the capacity of participating organizations, and foster collaborative projects between Japan and Kibo-ABC member countries. 

 Kibo-RPC is one of the activities of the Kibo-ABC program where students solve various problems through their programming skills to move the free-flying robots (Astrobee and Int-Ball) in Kibo aboard the ISS.  

Through its Kibo-ABC member organizations, JAXA invites the youth to participate in the challenge.  

The Philippines joined the Kibo-RPC for the first time in 2024 where Team Inflection Point of the Batangas State University (BatStateU) won second place during the Final Round held on 09 November 2024. 611 teams from Kibo-ABC member countries submitted their entries, and 13 teams made it to the final round.  

For questions and clarifications, please contact kiborpcphilippines@philsa.gov.ph