How NASA cleared iPhone 17 Pro Max for Artemis II Moon mission, certifying Apple’s flagship for deep space

One small step for man, one giant leap for smartphones! In a notable milestone for consumer technology in space, NASA has officially cleared the iPhone 17 Pro Max for use aboard the Artemis II mission — the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. Each of the four astronauts on board is carrying one iPhone 17 Pro Max, primarily to capture high-quality photos and videos of their historic journey around the Earth’s closest celestial body.

This marks the first time NASA has allowed each crew member to fly with a personal iPhone for documentation purposes, moving beyond previous limited or unofficial uses of smartphones in space. Prior to these certifications, NASA has never allowed any astronaut to carry their personal smartphones to space missions.