--- title: Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat | TIME description: In what’s being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world’s first robot astronaut, held a conversation in space. The robot doesn't spit out pre-programmed responses, but rather can process the question that's asked. canonical: https://time.com/video/uoVbYWPC/ og:title: Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat og:description: In what’s being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world’s first robot astronaut, held a conversation in space. The robot doesn't spit out pre-programmed responses, but rather can process the question that's asked. og:url: https://time.com/video/uoVbYWPC/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uoVbYWPC/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat twitter:description: In what’s being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world’s first robot astronaut, held a conversation in space. The robot doesn't spit out pre-programmed responses, but rather can process the question that's asked. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uoVbYWPC/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat [Watch (HLS stream): Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uoVbYWPC.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2013-12-20. In what’s being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world’s first robot astronaut, held a conversation in space. The robot doesn't spit out pre-programmed responses, but rather can process the question that's asked._ --- Jul 27, 2023 4:03 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [NASA Astronauts ISS Spacewalk](/video/KMSM5OoC/) ### NASA Astronauts ISS Spacewalk [Watch Astronaut's 4K Timelapse of the Earth](/video/Vfsc1DqA/) ### Watch Astronaut's 4K Timelapse of the Earth [ISS Astronauts Answer Your Questions](/video/yPdYueon/) ### ISS Astronauts Answer Your Questions --- ## Transcript >> It's what's being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world's first robot astronaut held a conversation in space. Kirobo spoke with Koichi Wakata, the current commander of the International Space Station earlier this month. But the footage was just released on Friday. -[ Foreign Language ] -[ Foreign Language ] >> Kirobo actually spoke his first words in space >> back in August. Echoing Neil Armstrong's famous one small step line saying, " A robot took one small step toward a brighter future for all ." -[ Foreign Language ] >> But this was the first back and forth in space for Kirobo. Remarkably, none of the conversation is scripted. Instead of just spitting out pre- programmed responses, Kirobo can actually process the question is being asked. They construct an answer from the words in his vocabulary. So, while the conversation maybe a bit clunky, Kirobo can >> respond to pretty much anything that's said to it. He actually learns the more he talks. So what's the purpose of this experiment? Kirobo's designer told the BBC, " The robot was designed to potentially assist astronauts in future missions but also as a companion ." >> Where as others regard robots as working machines, he says, Japanese people believe in a future where robots and humans coexist. >> Kirobo is scheduled to return to Earth at the end of 2014. In the meantime, if you're a fan and would like to show your appreciation, he told Wakata he like a toy rocket for Christmas. For TIME, I'm Megan Murphy. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Robot Astronaut's ISS Space Chat","description":"In what’s being hailed as the first of its kind, Kirobo, the world’s first robot astronaut, held a conversation in space. The robot doesn't spit out pre-programmed responses, but rather can process the question that's asked.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uoVbYWPC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-12-20T17:32:38.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uoVbYWPC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/uoVbYWPC/","duration":"PT1M34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/uoVbYWPC/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```