The Nikon Z9 in orbit

In NASA service

The Nikon Z 9 became the first mirrorless camera in NASA's ISS Nikon inventory on 30 January 2024, when 13 Z 9 bodies, more than 15 NIKKOR Z lenses (including super-telephoto and micro lenses), and 15 FTZ II adapters were delivered aboard Northrop Grumman's CRS-20 resupply mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. The Z 9 is replacing the D5 and D6 inventory, with mechanical-autofocus lenses prioritized for replacement first.¹

Nikon confirms that the flight Z 9 is physically unmodified from the commercial unit. All customization is in firmware: extended in-camera noise reduction to counter cosmic-ray sensor damage at fast shutter speeds; modified RAW file numbering to eliminate collisions across the hundreds of thousands of frames a crew captures per mission; default settings and controls optimized for ISS use and for EVA operation inside a protective covering; and modified in-camera FTP and transfer protocols to simplify astronaut workflow, increase throughput, and reduce power consumption when transmitting images to Earth.¹ The Z 9 was Nikon's first camera to eliminate a mechanical shutter — the design uses an electronic shutter with a physical sensor protector — a choice Nikon cites as minimizing moving parts for durability.¹

Astronauts Don Pettit and Matt Dominick, both active on ISS during 2024, have described operational specifics of the Z 9 in orbit. The camera's 14-bit RAW files provide roughly 14–15 stops of dynamic range in practice, and its two native ISOs give operators headroom to trade noise against dynamic range for different subjects. Long-exposure noise reduction operates by closing the sensor protector and capturing a matched dark frame at the same ISO and sensor temperature — a technique the crew relies on heavily to subtract cosmic-ray hot pixels from long-exposure star and aurora work. Named lenses in the current Z 9 kit include the NIKKOR Z 24 mm f/1.4, 28 mm f/1.4, 50 mm f/1.2 S, and a specially-funded 14 mm f/1.4 S; a 15 mm Arri Zeiss cinema lens (T/1.8) has also been adapted to the Z 9 body. The mid-1980s Noct-Nikkor 58 mm f/1.2 remains in operational use aboard the station.²

1. Nikon Corporation. “Nikon Z 9 goes to space: Space station astronauts receive Nikon's flagship full-frame mirrorless camera.” Press release, 7 February 2024.
2. Zakrzewski, Joseph. “The Art of Astronaut Photography” [interview with Don Pettit and Matt Dominick]. Houston We Have a Podcast, episode 397, NASA Johnson Space Center, 15 August 2025.