NASA's Artemis II moon mission: iPhones, Nikon cameras and all the tech on spacecraft

When NASA's Artemis II spacecraft lifted off, it carried four astronauts, decades of engineering ambition and an extraordinary arsenal of cameras, smartphones and communications technology to document humanity’s return to lunar orbit in detail.

Here is a look at the tech and tech devices that are aboard the spacecraft riding along for the journey.

28 cameras aboard Artemis II

Artemis II launched with at least 28 cameras aboard which are mounted to the spacecraft’s exterior, installed inside the cabin and carried as handheld devices by the crew. Together, these cameras will capture every angle of the mission, from the fiery launch to the vast silence of deep space.

Nikon: Old faithful meets new flagship

Among the most talked-about pieces of kit are the Nikon cameras selected for the mission.

NASA astronauts have been trained with the Nikon D5, a DSLR that is now over a decade old but the reason to use this camera is straightforward: the Nikon D5 has already been proven in space, giving engineers confidence it can withstand the punishing radiation levels and zero-gravity conditions of deep space flight.But the crew also managed to bring along something newer. The Nikon Z9, which is Nikon’s flagship mirrorless full-frame camera, makes space debut on Artemis II.

The reason is preparedness for an even more critical role on Artemis III, the mission that will return astronauts to the Moon’s surface for the first time since 1972.For Artemis III, the Z9 will be modified extensively under a formal Space Act Agreement between Nikon and NASA. Engineers are redesigning circuits to withstand cosmic radiation, developing custom firmware that optimises the camera for moonwalk conditions, and building a specialised grip so astronauts can operate the camera while wearing thick spacesuit gloves. There will also be a thermal blanket, similar to those used during spacewalks on the International Space Station, will protect the camera on the lunar surface. Selected NIKKOR Z lenses will also be modified to survive the Moon's extreme temperature swings and radiation environment.

GoPro: From snow-capped mountains and underwater to the Moon

GoPro is also along for the ride. Four specially-modified GoPro cameras are mounted directly onto the solar array wings of the Orion spacecraft, where they will record high-resolution views of the spacecraft itself, Earth and the Moon from the outside.Beyond their documentary role, these cameras will serve as inspection tools during critical mission moments, allowing ground control to visually assess the spacecraft's condition from Earth. Here’s what the company said.For GoPro, being selected for the historic Artemis II mission reinforces what we’ve long believed: when reliability, image quality, and adaptability matter most, our cameras rise to the challenge—whether on Earth or more than 240,000 miles away.

GoPro was built for missions like this—small, ruggedized, adaptable cameras delivering reliable performance in the most extreme conditions imaginable. From the ocean to the mountains to deep space, the mission is the same.

iPhones in space

NASA approved the use of personal smartphones aboard Artemis II, making it one of the first missions where astronauts have brought their own handsets into space. That means both iPhones and Android devices have travelled beyond Earth’s orbit on a NASA mission for the first time.

The crew has not wasted the opportunity. Clips shared on X by user @OwenSparks show an iPhone being tossed between crew members in zero gravity.

Beaming 4K footage from the Moon

Perhaps the most technically stunning element of Artemis II’s communications setup is the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications system, known as O2O. According to Tom’s Hardware, unlike traditional radio-based communications, O2O uses laser technology to transmit data between the spacecraft and Earth at speeds of up to 260 Mbps, which is fast enough to stream live 4K video footage directly from the Moon’s surface.

The O2O will also be used to rapidly transmit flight plans, procedures, photographs and other mission-critical data between the crew and ground control.