- NASA officially approves personal smartphones for government missions starting with Crew-12
- Artemis II will carry consumer phones alongside traditional spaceflight imaging equipment
- Expedited hardware approval marks procedural change within NASA operations
NASA has confirmed that its astronauts will now be allowed to carry personal smartphones on crewed missions, starting with Crew-12 and the delayed Artemis II flight.
Crew 12 is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station in mid-February 2026, while Artemis II is now scheduled to launch in March.
The policy change allows astronauts to use modern iPhone and Android devices during missions, marking a shift from NASA’s long reliance on agency-provided cameras.
Policy change expands crew access to personal equipment
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the decision was driven by a desire to give crews more flexible tools to document their experiences and share images and videos with the public.
“We give our teams the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and videos with the world,” Isaacman wrote on X.
NASA leaders viewed the move as more than cultural, and the agency had to speed up approval of modern consumer hardware for spaceflight.
They say the same urgency will support future scientific research in orbit and on the lunar surface.
The rapid adoption of efficient equipment could be more important than strict adherence to existing procedures.
“Equally important, we challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an accelerated timeline,” Isaacman added.
“This operational emergency will serve NASA well as we pursue the highest value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface.”
Until now, astronauts have relied largely on Nikon DSLR cameras and GoPros, many of which were designed years ago — and while these devices remain capable, they lack the immediacy and versatility of modern smartphones.
Smartphones combine advanced sensors, image stabilization, ultra-wide lenses and video capabilities in a single device that astronauts already know how to use.
NASA believes that familiarity could allow crews to capture more spontaneous moments without interrupting scheduled mission tasks or relying on specialized equipment.
With smartphones available, future missions could generate much more informal images and videos than previous expeditions.
This change increases the likelihood of more frequent updates from orbit and deep space, which could make upcoming missions among the most documented in NASA history.
However, the agency has not set specific limits on the creation of personal content, although mission security rules still apply.
Smartphones have flown in space before, including on private SpaceX missions, so the concept isn’t entirely new, but what’s different is that NASA is officially approving personal devices for flagship government missions.
Although the agency describes this as “a small step in the right direction,” it reflects a desire to reconsider conservative technology rules.
The long-term impact will depend on whether accelerated qualification becomes standard practice or remains limited to low-risk hardware such as personal smartphones.
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