Meta Sends 2 Quest 3 Headsets to ISS for Spacewalk Training as 2031 Deorbit Nears
Updated
Updated · UploadVR · Jun 2
Meta Sends 2 Quest 3 Headsets to ISS for Spacewalk Training as 2031 Deorbit Nears
3 articles · Updated · UploadVR · Jun 2
Two Quest 3 headsets are being sent to the International Space Station so astronauts can rehearse spacewalks in VR before leaving the hatch.
Meta said the mission follows a six-year collaboration with the European Space Agency and uses an adapted version of Quest 3's Travel Mode to function in microgravity.
Unlike earlier ISS headset missions that required heavier tracking changes, Quest 3 will ignore its accelerometer entirely in orbit and rely on camera-based visual cues to prevent drift.
The deployment adds to a line of ISS XR experiments after Microsoft's HoloLens in 2015, Oculus Rift in 2017 and HTC Vive Focus 3 in 2023.
The training system arrives late in the ISS era: the station, whose assembly began in 1998, is currently slated for deorbit in 2031.
As China plans a lunar base by 2030, can commercial VR give the Artemis program a critical training advantage in the new space race?
While VR trains astronauts for dangerous spacewalks, what unforeseen psychological or physiological risks could this digital preparation introduce for real-world missions?
Could virtual reality become the essential tool for maintaining sanity and well-being during the extreme isolation of future missions to the Moon and Mars?
Meta Quest 3 on the ISS: How Immersive Technologies Are Shaping Astronaut Training and the Future of Space Operations (2026–2031)
Overview
In summer 2026, Meta Quest 3 headsets will arrive on the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major step in using virtual reality (VR) for astronaut training, especially for spacewalks. This innovation comes as the ISS, built in orbit since 1998, prepares for its planned deorbit in 2031. As the global space community shifts focus to the Artemis Moon Base and private companies get ready to manage human presence in Earth orbit, VR technology is proving to be a powerful tool for astronaut preparation. The integration of Meta Quest 3 highlights ongoing advancements in space training during the ISS's final years.