The H-II Transfer Vehicle, KOUNOTORI, a Japanese cargo transfer spacecraft serving the International Space Station, was launched from Japan's largest rocket-launch complex, the Tanegashima Space Center, on 9 December 2016, carrying one of Sony's revolutionary α7S II cameras on board. This gives us on the ground the opportunity to see images captured from space in 4K or full HD video resolution, as well as 12-megapixel still pictures.
The International Space Station orbits approx. 400 kilometres (249 miles) above the Earth at a speed of roughly 8 km/s (5 miles/s), and completes one orbit of the Earth in approx. 90 minutes (16 orbits/day) — faster than a bullet.
Why was the α7S II chosen as the camera to be used in the incredible environment of space, and what kind of subjects are they hoping to shoot with the α7S II? We talked to Toshitami Ikeda, JAXA's associate senior engineer, in charge of the outboard camera system.

(Interviewed 13 Dec 2016)

Unusual natural phenomena and the changing appearance of the Earth.

- To begin with, could you tell us about the mission, role and purpose of the outboard camera?

The mission of the outboard camera is to record clear images of the Earth from the International Space Station. By capturing exceptional, immersive images from outer space of something such as a large-scale disaster on the ground, you can grasp aspects of the situation that are unseen from the ground, such as damage and the scope of impact. We can also explore environmental changes by taking continuous pictures of a specific place, like a fixed-point observation. This could be looking at colour change in the sea by taking pictures of a submarine volcano or watching the movement of drift ice. By recognising these kinds of changes of the Earth, we can contribute to an understanding of global environmental issues, and we also believe that transmitting images invisible from the ground will lead to an increased interest in space development. 

- Please tell us why the α7S II was chosen as the outboard camera.

The camera system outside the station is controlled from the Earth via remote control and transmits image data. This made the α7S II, which already has a built-in USB interface and can handle command operations, an excellent choice both as an outboard camera and in terms of easy handling technically. In addition, phenomena such as Aurora or meteors, or the Earth seen at night from space, are a little different from when seen on the ground, so the high-sensitivity capture that the α7S II offers is perfect for night shooting. The International Space Station makes one orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes, and using our previous system, we couldn't even consider shooting at night, which comes around every 45 minutes. I'm looking forward to its performance and the ability to shoot even in very low light at night.

- How did the α7S II actually get to the International Space Station?

As space is a vacuum, heat is not dissipated by air convection. To overcome this, the camera with its lens is placed in aluminium housing, the Camera Unit, and maximising the contact with this aluminium housing helps that heat escape. The Camera Unit was protected by cushioning materials and carried as part of the pressurised cargo delivered by Japan's KOUNOTORI.