Overview
- Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the policy on X, saying the devices will let crews capture family moments and share images and video with the public.
- The agency says the smartphones provided for these flights are iPhones, and Apple confirmed this is the first full qualification of iPhone for sustained space use, though specific models were not disclosed.
- SpaceX’s Crew-12 is expected to launch to the ISS next week under the new rule, while Artemis II has shifted into March as pad testing and reviews continue.
- NASA says it challenged long-standing processes to qualify modern hardware on an expedited timeline, with safety evaluations addressing risks like electromagnetic interference, radiation, outgassing, vibration, and battery hazards.
- While smartphones have flown on private missions and two iPhone 4 units rode STS-135 in 2011, NASA describes this as its first licensing for extended smartphone use on agency missions.