How An iPhone 17 Pro Max Wound Up Taking Photos From Space

Following the launch of the Artemis II mission to the moon, photos taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max have been shared with the world. Now, a new report has detailed how that came about.

It was confirmed by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman earlier this year that the Artemis II mission would see some phones join the flight, and we now know that four iPhone 17 Pro Max devices have made the trip.

According to a New York Times report, the iPhones can be used for taking videos and capturing photos, but nothing else. Notably, Apple was not part of the process of approving the move.

Apple said it wasn’t involved with NASA’s process for approving iPhones for the Artemis II mission. The company said the mission was the first time an iPhone had fully qualified for extended use in orbit and beyond.

This isn’t the first time a phone has gone to space, although they have usually been on private missions from the likes of SpaceX. To get iPhones onto a NASA mission, there was a four-stage process required to ensure that everything was planned accordingly.

New iPhones are being packed into the suits of the Artemis II Crew!

There is something very familiar about the iPhone look that will make the Moon feel accessible, we are literally going to see the lunar surface through the same lens we use to capture our own lives every day. pic.twitter.com/sDDM5NSRMX

— Owen Sparks (@OwenSparks) April 1, 2026

Typically, the process has four phases, Mr. Niederwieser said. The first introduces the piece of hardware to a safety panel. The second identifies the potential hazards of the hardware, which ranges from moving parts to materials like glass that could shatter. The third lays out a plan for addressing such hazards. The fourth proves that the plan works.

Niederwieser, an assistant research professor at BioServe Space Technologies, also noted that concerns likely included what would happen if one of the iPhones became damaged.

“You can imagine — with the shatterable material, for example, it’s just floating in the air,” Niederwieser reportedly said. “It doesn’t just drop to the ground, and you’re protected because you have shoes on.”