NASA breaks a 50-year rule: Astronauts can finally take smartphones to the Moon |

For the very first time in NASA‘s history, astronauts can now successfully carry a device that is an essential part of our daily lives. If someone is at home, in the office, or travelling, it is a must-carry device today. Yes, we are talking about smartphones. Astronauts heading to the moon will soon be allowed to carry personal smartphones with them, including iPhones. NASA has allowed to take smartphones for the upcoming Artemis II lunar flyby and the SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. This mission will send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. Revealing this, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman shared this update on X handle, confirming that now astronauts are authorised to take smartphones while heading to space or future missions. He wrote, “NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones, beginning with Crew-12 and Artemis II. We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world. Just as important, we challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an expedited timeline. That operational urgency will serve NASA well as we pursue the highest-value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface. This is a small step in the right direction.”

Why personal smartphones are finally heading to deep space

This green signal has been given to capture the “special moments” that can inspire the world. To date, personal smartphones have been totally banned from deep-space missions due to safety concerns. Only approved laptops and specialised gadgets were allowed to be taken into the space to send any email, call, or message.However, astronauts would have no chance to send any image or clip directly to their families or social media platforms. As in space, there is no cell network or internet connection. Any data (images, videos) will first have to go through NASA systems before they can be accessed by anyone in the world. The process would be a bit long as the photos will be saved in board relayed through existing satellite links, so the agency will decode and release them at the end.This shift is not just for convenience; it shows the roadmap of NASA to get closer to the moon each passing day. By breaking the ‘no-phone rule’, NASA is moving away from the slow-moving bureaucracy of the 1970s and eyeing the modern tech era. While Nikon DSLR will still be operated for the highly contrasted imagery of the lunar surface, smartphones can easily capture the glimpses of behind the scenes.

Why deep space was a ‘no-phone zone’

According to NASA’s administrator, Isaacman, modern consumer electronics are often more capable than the custom-built tech NASA used in the past.

Smartphones had ever been taken into space

Yes, Samsung has said that their Nexus S smartphone went with the space shuttle Atlantis, which headed for the International Space Station, where NASA gave the green signal to use. Even, there are many occasions when smartphones were seen taken to space for missions. According to NASA, the advanced camera approved for the Artemis II mission was a 2016 Nikon DSLR, along with decade-old GoPro cameras for crews.

From Apollo 17 to Artemis II

The shift from the 1972 Apollo 17 mission to the upcoming Artemis II flight represents not just a return to the Moon, but a complete technological reboot. While the Apollo era depended on the power of the Saturn V rocket and the determination of test pilots, Artemis II uses the Space Launch System (SLS). This rocket is the most powerful ever built and provides 15% more thrust to move a larger spacecraft. Unlike the cramped Apollo Command Module, the new Orion capsule has 60% more living space and is designed for modern comfort. It features a sustainable solar power system and a fully functional toilet, a luxury that the 1972 crew lacked. The most remarkable difference lies in the mission’s “brain.” The Apollo Guidance Computer was advanced for its time, but it had less memory than a modern digital watch.In contrast, the Orion spacecraft has a “glass cockpit” powered by additional, high-speed flight computers that are 20,000 times faster and hold 128,000 times more memory than those from 1972. This significant advancement in computing has made it possible for consumer technology, like iPhones, to participate in the mission, bridging the gap between the analogue past and our digital future.