While Artemis II astronauts will rely on the latest spaceflight technology, they won’t rely on the latest camera technology. The first crewed mission around the moon since 1972 is set to launch no earlier than April of this year, and will be armed, not with a state-of-the-art mirrorless camera, but an aging DSLR. The news was revealed by mission commander, Reid Wiseman, during a Facebook post that the crew would be relying upon the Nikon D5.
Nikon announced in 2024 that it had entered into a Space Act agreement with NASA for Artemis mission support, but that was for its flagship mirrorless, the Nikon Z9. And indeed, the Nikon Z9 has since proven its worth on the International Space Station. So why is the Nikon D5 the preferred option for a trip around the moon?
