MinXray’s Impact wireless digital x-ray system is one of three portable units in the second round of testing by NASA for potential future human exploration missions.
In the first phase of its search, NASA reviewed over 200 commercial systems for size, weight, image quality, ease of use, cost, and safety, MinXray said. Three units, including the Impact system, were then chosen for further testing, which is currently being conducted at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH.
The system selected will be used to address the challenges of long-distance space travel, noted Chase Haddix, PhD, a senior research contractor working at NASA Glenn, in a news release.
“These x-rays could be used to detect both clinical and nonclinical diagnostics, meaning they can check an astronaut’s body or identify the location of a tear in an astronaut suit,” Haddix said.
The Impact system was recently used as part of the Fram2 mission, where it captured, most notably, the first human x-ray image ever captured in space. NASA researchers are expected to make a final selection at the end of 2025 and test the chosen system aboard the International Space Station in 2027 or early 2028.