NASA’s Artemis II mission is currently on its way to loop around the Moon, marking the first crewed deep space flight since 1972. Alongside the Orion spacecraft and its advanced systems, astronauts are carrying something far more familiar: the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
This is the first time a consumer smartphone has been officially approved for use on a crewed deep space mission. NASA cleared the iPhone 17 Pro Max months before launch, and astronauts have been using it throughout the flight to capture photos and videos, including some of the first images now being shared from the mission.
Among the most talked-about shots are selfies taken inside Orion by astronauts Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman. These images show Earth glowing through the spacecraft windows, captured using the iPhone 17 Pro Max front camera. The photos were taken with standard settings, including a 2.715mm lens and f/1.9 aperture, with no flash, and later lightly edited.
Despite looking like professional shots, these images were taken using the front-facing camera rather than the rear system. Apple’s upgraded front camera on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which supports high-resolution selfies and improved low-light performance, handled the dim cabin lighting and bright Earth backdrop without much adjustment.
Getting the iPhone 17 Pro Max onboard Artemis II required a detailed approval process. NASA evaluated the device as flight hardware, not just a personal gadget. One of the biggest concerns was how materials behave in microgravity. If the Ceramic Shield display or sapphire lens were to break, fragments would float inside the cabin and pose a risk to astronauts.
Battery safety was also reviewed, particularly how lithium-ion cells would respond to radiation and pressure changes. Engineers tested the device for off-gassing as well, ensuring that internal materials would not release harmful vapors into Orion’s closed air system.
To meet these requirements, the iPhone 17 Pro Max units were configured with strict limitations. All wireless features including cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are permanently disabled. The phones are secured using Velcro mounts or stored in suit pockets during launch to prevent them from floating in zero gravity.
The devices are not used for communication or mission operations. Instead, they function only as cameras. Photos and videos are transferred back to Earth through NASA systems rather than any direct connection.
NASA is still using dedicated imaging equipment on Artemis II, including older Nikon DSLR cameras and GoPro units. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has been used for many of the cabin shots released so far, even if metadata is not always publicly confirmed.
Apple was not directly involved in the certification process. NASA handled testing and approval independently, making this the first time an iPhone has been cleared for extended use beyond Earth orbit.
For now, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a secondary tool on Artemis II, but the images coming back show how capable it is in a deep space environment.
