For the first time in the history of human spaceflight, an iPhone has captured images of astronauts in deep space, with NASA sharing photographs taken aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar mission using an Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The images show Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch photographed against the view of Earth through one of Orion’s main cabin windows, with Flickr metadata confirming the shots were taken on April 2, the second day of the mission, using the device’s front camera.
Image Credit (NASA)
Apple’s presence aboard Artemis II follows NASA’s decision in February to fully qualify the iPhone 17 Pro Max for extended use in orbit, with each of the four crew members carrying a personal device for photography and video, marking a significant expansion of consumer hardware into professional spaceflight environments.
The qualification of consumer hardware like the 17 Pro Max for spaceflight use reflects a broader shift in NASA’s approach to mission equipment, where off-the-shelf technology has increasingly supplemented purpose-built aerospace hardware as commercial components have demonstrated sufficient reliability for demanding operational environments.
The iPhone images sit alongside footage and stills captured on dedicated professional cameras including the Nikon D5, Nikon Z 9, and GoPro HERO4 Black, underlining that the iPhone’s role on the mission covers personal documentation rather than replacing the mission’s primary imaging equipment.
Image Credit (NASA)
Artemis II represents NASA’s first crewed journey toward the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, a gap of over five decades that makes the current mission a landmark moment for human deep space exploration regardless of its photographic credentials.
The Orion spacecraft is not equipped with lunar landing capability and will not touch down on the surface, but the crew reached the far side of the Moon on Monday, a milestone that set a new record for the greatest distance travelled from Earth by any human being.
Orion is scheduled to return to Earth on April 10, carrying what will likely stand as the first consumer smartphone images taken at lunar distance.
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