iPhones in space: Astronauts are allowed to take modern smartphones

Starting with NASA's Artemis 2 mission, the astronauts of Crew-12 will be allowed to take iPhones and other modern smartphones into orbit and beyond. This was announced by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Wednesday.

Around the moon with the iPhone

“NASA astronauts will soon be flying with the latest smartphones, starting with Crew-12 and Artemis 2,” Isaacman wrote on X. He added: “We are giving our crews the opportunity to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and videos with the world.”

While NASA astronauts have been taking photos from the space station for a long time, the selection of technical equipment for this was severely limited, which was due to strict regulations. For example, technical devices had to undergo a series of tests, such as for the radiation behavior of chips, thermal and vacuum tests of batteries, vibration tests, or the outgassing of gases. Therefore, the latest cameras intended for the missions were Nikon DSLRs from 2016 and GoPros, reports Ars Technica.

According to Isaacman, the new decision to allow astronauts to bring modern smartphones has more to do than just taking cool new photos and videos. It is part of his efforts to question long-standing NASA rules and requirements. He said, “Equally important, we have challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an accelerated timeline.” “This operational urgency will benefit NASA as we conduct the most valuable science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface. This is a small step in the right direction,” he added.

With the now permitted possibility of taking spontaneous snapshots with smartphones, astronauts are potentially opening up new possibilities for photo and video recordings. It could be useful, for example, when astronauts are conducting an experiment or looking out the window and observing an interesting phenomenon.

Private Missions

It is not entirely new for smartphones or tablets to be taken into space: for example, two iPhone 4s were on board the last space shuttle mission in 2011. In addition, astronauts who have lived on board the International Space Station (ISS) in the past ten years have taken tablets with them to connect to the internet and communicate with their family members.

Private space missions are less strict than NASA's regulations regarding technical equipment; for example, astronauts on the Polaris Dawn flight and the Axiom missions were able to take smartphones with them. The billionaire and current NASA chief Isaacman financed the Polaris flight, by the way, and was himself on board as an astronaut.

(afl)