{"id":572552,"date":"2026-02-07T09:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/572552\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T09:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:10:16","slug":"good-news-astronauts-can-finally-go-into-space-without-having-to-break-their-crippling-phone-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/572552\/","title":{"rendered":"Good News: Astronauts Can Finally Go Into Space Without Having To Break Their Crippling Phone Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have many addictions. Cars are a big one, obviously. Shopping for cars on Facebook Marketplace, too. I also love sugar to the point where I go into a tiny bit of withdrawal if I don\u2019t have my daily fix. But my biggest addiction, by far, has got to be my phone. If I go five minutes without the thing and I\u2019m not showering or sleeping, I get so anxious that I stop functioning.<\/p>\n

For the longest time, I felt bad for astronauts going up into space. Sure, they get to see the unrivaled beauty and awe-inspiring views of space and earth from above, as well as the weightlessness of orbit, but they weren\u2019t allowed to bring their smartphones along. If you can\u2019t snap a video to send to your favorite group chat about being in space, then what\u2019s the point? It\u2019s basically like you weren\u2019t there at all.<\/p>\n

\"Vidframe<\/p>\n

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Thankfully, that\u2019s changing with NASA\u2019s upcoming missions. The head of NASA announced this week plans to start allowing astronauts to fly with today\u2019s latest smartphones in their pockets. That means astronauts with crippling phone addictions like me won\u2019t have to wean themselves off before venturing into the final frontier.<\/p>\n

New Rules For Crew-12 And Artemis II<\/p>\n

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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\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

NASA has two upcoming missions on the horizon. The first, Crew-12, is a program set to launch sometime this month in collaboration with SpaceX aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, with four crewmembers (two NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut), going to the International Space Station. The next is Artemis II, a more involved mission that plans to take three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut out of low Earth orbit and around the moon.<\/p>\n

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday evening plans to allow astronauts from both of these programs to take smartphones aboard.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"AfsArtemis II NASA astronauts (left to right) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Source: NASA<\/p>\n

Seeing as how the newest camera previously approved for the Artemis II flight was a 2016 Nikon DSLR, this is great news for astronauts who want to capture visuals with modern technology, and for the people who want to see photos and videos through the lens of a modern device. If I were an astronaut on one of these missions, I\u2019d be pretty hyped that I\u2019d be able to catch up on my TikTok notifications as I\u2019m flying into Earth\u2019s atmosphere at Mach 32 (around 24,000 mph).<\/p>\n

Reconsidering How Devices Are Approved<\/p>\n

But more than that, Isaacman says the move is a step towards challenging modern spaceflight requirements:<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"ArtemisNASA\u2019s Artemis II space launch system rocket and Orion spacecraft at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Source: NASA<\/p>\n

Overlooking the stringent requirements necessary for a device to qualify for space travel is no joke\u2014the requirements are there because they ensure their effectiveness and the safety of the astronauts using them. But as Ars Technica points out, the approval process might be a bit bloated:<\/p>\n

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The challenge of qualifying modern technology for spaceflight is real. There are a million ways in which the technology can become mired in the approval process, from radiation characterization of chips to battery thermal and vacuum tests, outgassing concerns, vibe testing, and other qualification concerns. Yes, these requirements exist for a reason. But Isaacman is now telling his team to challenge requirements to ensure they are still needed today. (If you don\u2019t believe this is important, ask any NASA contractor about bloated requirements.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Still, it\u2019s not like NASA is going to let astronauts pocket their iPhones and hop into their respective spacecraft without doing some research. Phones weren\u2019t allowed on board previous missions over concerns about electromagnetic interference, which could disrupt systems like navigation, life support, or communications, all of which seem pretty important.<\/p>\n

\"KscFrom 2023: The Artemis II astronauts about to board a van from Canoo\u2014a brand that has since gone bankrupt<\/a>\u2014prior to traveling to the launch pad for a ground systems test. Source: NASA<\/p>\n

NASA is still going to test phones to make sure that stuff isn\u2019t affected, according to Gadgethacks.com<\/a>. They\u2019ll also be making sure the phones are up to the agency\u2019s high standards for flammability, and whether they can withstand cosmic rays while outside of low Earth orbit (these irradiated, invisible beams from space can corrupt memory files and degrade processors).<\/p>\n

As for security risks, the agency is taking similar precautions. From Gadgethacks.com:<\/p>\n

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Astronauts\u2019 personal iPhones operate on separate wireless networks with no direct access to flight control systems, scientific payloads, or classified communications\u2014creating an entirely isolated network bubble within the spacecraft\u2019s existing infrastructure. Data encryption, remote wipe capabilities, and mandatory security updates become non-negotiable in this environment. Any app installation must undergo vetting to prevent malware or inadvertent data leakage. Imagine the potential disaster if a compromised game app somehow bridged the network gap and interfered with life support telemetry. The stakes are literally life-and-death, which means the verification process for approved apps is orders of magnitude more rigorous than what you\u2019d find in a typical enterprise environment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So long as Facebook Marketplace is on the list of approved apps, sign me up.<\/p>\n

Top graphic images: DepositPhotos.com; SmolFrenz\/TikTok<\/p>\n

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