Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are using the iPhone 17 Pro Max to document their trip around the Moon, and the first images are already back on Earth.
NASA recently published a “Journey to the Moon” gallery featuring photos taken by the four-person crew aboard the Orion spacecraft. Some shots were captured using a Nikon D5 and GoPro cameras, but several were taken on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, including photos of Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch looking back at Earth through the spacecraft’s cabin windows.
The iPhone had to pass a series of safety tests before NASA cleared it for use in orbit. That included checks for potential hazards like broken glass and how the device would behave in a zero-gravity environment. In February, NASA officially confirmed the iPhone was fully qualified for extended use in space.
Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972. The crew is expected to reach the far side of the Moon today, setting a new record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans. The Orion spacecraft cannot land on the Moon and is scheduled to return to Earth on April 10.
For now, the Artemis II crew holds a unique title as the first astronauts to shoot “Shot on iPhone” photos from lunar distance
