Trending Now - NASA Approves Modified Iphone 17 Pro Max for Artemis II Astronauts

WHO:

9to5Mac - NASA administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the use of smartphones by astronauts on the Artemis II mission.

9to5Mac - Tobias Niederwieser, an assistant research professor at BioServe Space Technologies, discussed the approval process for the iPhone.

9to5Mac - Apple stated it was not involved in the approval process for the iPhones.

WHAT:

9to5Mac - NASA approved four iPhone 17 Pro Max devices for the Artemis II mission, allowing astronauts to take photos and videos.

9to5Mac - The iPhones cannot connect to the internet or use Bluetooth, as confirmed by NASA.

Techmeme - The Artemis II mission is one of the first instances where NASA has allowed astronauts to fly with smartphones.

WHERE:

9to5Mac - The iPhones are currently traveling towards the Moon at approximately 25,000 mph.

WHEN:

9to5Mac - The Artemis II mission is taking place in 2026.

9to5Mac - The iPhones were packed into the suits of astronauts, including Jeremy Hansen, as of April 1st, 2026.

9to5Mac - NASA shared an image of Earth taken by a Nikon D5 camera on April 3rd, 2026.

WHY:

9to5Mac - NASA's approval process for the iPhones was designed to ensure the safety of both the crew and the spacecraft in microgravity conditions.

HOW:

9to5Mac - The approval process for the iPhones involved four phases: introducing the hardware to a safety panel, identifying potential hazards, laying out a plan to address those hazards, and proving that the plan works.

9to5Mac - NASA considered using Velcro to mount the phones in the Orion capsule.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 19:10 UTC)

NASA has confirmed that astronauts on the Artemis II mission will be using four iPhone 17 Pro Max devices to capture photos and videos during their journey to the Moon, although these phones will not have internet or Bluetooth capabilities. The approval process for the iPhones involved multiple safety phases to ensure the crew and spacecraft's safety in microgravity, and NASA even considered using Velcro to secure the devices inside the Orion capsule. As of on Wednesday, the iPhones were packed into the suits of astronauts, including Jeremy Hansen, and NASA recently shared an image of Earth taken by a Nikon D5 camera on Friday.