NASA Opens Door to Personal Smartphones in Space

For the first time in its history, NASA will allow astronauts to carry their own smartphones during crewed missions, a move that quietly ends one of the agency’s longest-standing rules on personal electronics.

The change applies immediately to the Crew-12 mission launching to the International Space Station next week and will extend to the Artemis 2 flight, the first crewed voyage around the Moon since Apollo.

The decision came after a remarkably fast internal review. Officials realised that today’s smartphones, properly prepared, could safely operate in the harsh environment of space while giving astronauts a far more natural way to document their journey.

Until now, crews have depended on specially certified cameras that are often ten or more years old. The new policy means astronauts will be able to use the latest models they already own, capturing moments with the same devices they use on Earth.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the step as both practical and deeply human. “We are giving our people the tools to hold on to memories for their families and to share the wonder of space with everyone back home,” he wrote on X.

The implications go beyond nostalgia. Future missions will now be recorded with greater spontaneity and detail than ever before. Zero-gravity selfies, quick videos from inside the spacecraft, and even light-hearted clips could become part of the official visual record.

The approval process itself surprised many inside the agency. What usually takes months or years was completed in weeks, proving that NASA can move quickly when the need is clear.

Commercial companies had already taken this step. SpaceX permitted personal phones on its private missions several years ago. NASA’s decision brings government-led exploration in line with that more flexible approach.

For the public, the change promises something rare: space travel seen through ordinary eyes rather than only through the lens of official equipment. The images and videos that return may feel closer, more immediate, and more personal.

In a field where every gram and every volt is scrutinised, allowing everyday smartphones may seem a small concession. Yet for the men and women who will live aboard these spacecraft, it is a quiet but meaningful recognition that even in the most extreme environment, some parts of ordinary life still belong.