Nasa plans to give astronauts modern smartphones during space missions. The agency will start this step with the Crew-12 mission and the upcoming Artemis II lunar test flight. The move aims to update the tools astronauts use in space.

Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman said the phones will help astronauts record personal moments and share photos and videos from space. He also said this step shows a change in how Nasa approves new technology for missions.

“We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world… This is a small step in the right direction,” Isaacman wrote on X.

He added that allowing modern devices on an accelerated schedule marks a shift from the agency’s long and strict approval process.

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…

— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 5, 2026

Nasa Completes Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal

Nasa also completed a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis II mission early Tuesday. Teams filled the tanks of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with cryogenic fuel. They completed final closeout work on the Orion capsule. Later, they safely drained the fuel.

Engineers used this test to spot technical problems before launch. They worked through several challenges during the two-day exercise and achieved many planned goals.

Nasa will now target March as the earliest possible launch date. Teams will study the test data and may carry out another wet dress rehearsal.

Astronauts Exit Quarantine After Launch Delay

Nasa dropped the February launch window. As a result, Artemis II astronauts have come out of quarantine. They had entered quarantine on 21 January in Houston.

The crew will return to quarantine about two weeks before the next planned launch.

Cold Weather Delays Countdown Operations

Nasa started a 49-hour countdown on 31 January. Engineers closely watched the impact of cold weather at the Kennedy Space Center. The low temperatures delayed fuel loading until systems reached safe levels.

During fuelling, teams found a liquid hydrogen leak in a connection that sends fuel into the rocket’s core stage. Engineers spent hours fixing the issue. They warmed the connection to reseat the seals. They also adjusted the fuel flow.

Fuel Tanks Filled After Fixing Leak

Teams eventually filled all tanks in the core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. After that, a five-member crew completed final closeout work on the Orion spacecraft.

Engineers then ran the final countdown procedures. The process reached about T-5 minutes before the ground launch system stopped the test. Sensors had detected a rise in the hydrogen leak rate, so the system halted the operation for safety.