Commercial flight crew take diagnostic X-rays in space

For the first time, crew members aboard a commercial spaceflight have successfully acquired diagnostic X-rays while in orbit, marking a significant step toward expanding medical and technical capabilities for long-duration missions. The results of the experiment, conducted during a SpaceX mission in March 2025, were detailed in a study published on July 14, 2026, in the journal Radiology.

The research demonstrates that non-medical personnel, with only four hours of preflight training, were able to operate a portable, wireless digital X-ray generator to produce images of comparable quality to those taken on Earth. The device was tested during the Fram2 mission, a commercial polar orbital flight launched on March 31, 2025, which lasted three days and 14 hours before returning to Earth on April 4, 2025. During the mission, crew members took X-rays of a hand, forearm, chest, abdomen, and pelvis, as well as a smartwatch, without ground support.

For over four decades, ultrasound has been the sole medical imaging modality available in space, a limitation as missions grow longer and riskier. Lead researcher Sheyna Gifford, an assistant professor of aerospace medicine at Mayo Clinic,...