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Artemis 2 is the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, so it’s no surprise that the Orion spacecraft is loaded with cameras, 15 mounted on the ship and 17 in the hands of the crew. And, thanks to this photographic equipment, we’ve been treated to some absolutely stunning Artemis 2 photos.

Skip to the gear and buy your own astronaut-worthy cameras and lenses.

What may shock you is just how down-to-earth most of these cameras have been, with some cameras dating back to 2016! What’s going on? Our Senior Manager, Jase Parnell-Brookes, explains.

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“Alongside monitoring vital sections of the craft and the Integrity crew themselves, there’s an array of on-board camera gear that the astronauts are using to document their mission.

The cameras aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been predominantly Nikon cameras, starting with the Nikon F5 (yes, film!) heading up in 1999, and the Artemis 2 mission follows suit. It may be surprising to many to read that the crew has taken 10-year-old DSLRs with them, the Nikon D5 to be precise.

It’s the predecessor of Nikon’s last flagship DSLR ever made, the Nikon D6, and with so many more compact mirrorless options available, it might at first seem mad to head to space with this bulkier, heavier model. But when you’re heading further from Earth than any human has ever done before, you need to take a tried-and-tested camera to ensure you get those all-important photos sent back home.”

Camera gear onboard Artemis 2 and where to buy it

The Integrity crew also has access to Nikon’s flagship mirrorless, the Nikon Z9 (read our glowing Z9 review here), to test their viability for future missions (they are much more sophisticated than the D5s). GoPro action cameras also feature, alongside the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for additional photo and video capture.

If it’s good enough for a NASA astronaut to take to the moon, it’s good enough for you. See below for a full list of their gear with options for the best and cheapest places to buy them.

Additional gear used to document the mission:

Nikon 35mm f/2D lens

Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens (used to image at the Space Center)

Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 ED lens

Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens

Nikon FTZ II lens mount adapter (this converts older F-mount DSLR lenses to be used on the newer Nikon Z9 Z-mount mirrorless camera) — this is Jase’s presumption based on the 35mm f/2D being used in conjunction with the Z9 in space and retaining EXIF data information.