At Nikon’s stand at CES 2025, a prototype of the Z9 mirrorless camera, designed for photo and video shooting on the Moon, was presented. An agreement with NASA to create such a camera was concluded about a year ago. However, long before that, the standard version of the Z9 camera visited the ISS and even beyond it, demonstrating its resistance to the harsh conditions of the space environment.
Image source: Nikon
Nikon does not hide that the camera will undergo significant modernization to work in lunar conditions. At the CES 2025 booth, a possible thermal case was presented to protect the camera and its lens from sudden temperature changes on the surface of the Moon. The company’s engineers will have to modify the mode adjustment wheel so that it can be used while wearing spacesuit gloves. There are also plans to create a viewfinder for the camera, which was missing during photo and video shooting 50 years ago, as well as optimizing the firmware and electronics to work in conditions of limited power supply and increased levels of radiation.
With the Artemis 3 mission to land astronauts on the Moon delayed until 2027 or later, Nikon has plenty of time to create the perfect photo and video camera suitable for astronauts. So far, the company is collecting feedback on the reliability of the Z9 camera in difficult conditions – on geological expeditions, on the ISS and in NASA training centers.