The identical telephone you are most likely scrolling on proper now could be on its solution to the Moon. 4 iPhone 17 Professional Max models are aboard the Artemis II spacecraft, and the way they bought NASA’s inexperienced gentle is a reasonably wild story.
How NASA cleared the iPhone 17 Professional Max for spaceflight
A brand new report from the New York Occasions (subscription required) particulars the four-phase qualification course of NASA put the iPhone 17 Professional Max by way of earlier than it may journey alongside:
- Section one brings the {hardware} earlier than a security panel.
- Section two flags each potential hazard, from shifting elements to glass that would shatter.
- Section three maps out the right way to cope with these hazards.
- Section 4 proves the fixes truly maintain up.
For a telephone you should buy at your native Apple Retailer, that is a reasonably intense vetting course of. Apple confirmed that is the primary time an iPhone has absolutely certified for prolonged use past Earth orbit, although the corporate wasn’t instantly concerned in making it occur.
What the iPhones can truly do up there
These $1,199 telephones cannot connect with the web or use Bluetooth, which makes them the world’s most costly point-and-shoot cameras. Every of the 4 astronauts bought one to seize pictures and movies all through the mission, and at the least one was zipped right into a leg pocket on a flight swimsuit earlier than launch.The crew additionally packed GoPro Hero 11 cameras and Nikon D5 our bodies for extra conventional images. However there’s one thing private about astronauts documenting a visit to the Moon with the identical machine billions of individuals use to {photograph} their lunch.
New iPhones are being packed into the fits of the Artemis II Crew!
There’s something very acquainted concerning the iPhone look that can make the Moon really feel accessible, we are actually going to see the lunar floor by way of the identical lens we use to seize our personal lives daily. pic.twitter.com/sDDM5NSRMX
— Owen Sparks (@OwenSparks) April 1, 2026
Ceramic Defend 2 simply handed its hardest check but
Damaged glass floating round a sealed capsule in microgravity is the form of factor that retains NASA engineers up at night time. The iPhone 17 Professional Max options Ceramic Defend 2 on the entrance and Ceramic Defend on the again, and Apple calls it the hardest smartphone glass ever made. Our personal expertise at PhoneArena strains up with that declare: we put our evaluate models by way of the wringer and Ceramic Defend 2 held up impressively towards day by day put on and tear.If it could clear NASA’s security requirements, your kitchen counter drops are most likely wonderful. The telephone’s aluminum physique and vapor chamber cooling have been additionally on NASA’s hazard listing, since {hardware} behaves fully in another way with out gravity.
The perfect Apple advert that Apple by no means made
I have been glued to Artemis II protection as a result of, house nerd that I’m, few issues get me going like watching people push deeper into the photo voltaic system. Having each of my worlds collide like this can be a thrill. The truth that astronauts are capturing the lunar floor by way of the identical digital camera lens many use to take pictures of their morning espresso makes house really feel extra accessible than ever.
And let’s face it, that is the most effective PR Apple may ask for with out spending a dime. No advertising and marketing marketing campaign, no partnership. Simply NASA independently deciding that the iPhone 17 Professional Max was powerful sufficient to fly to the Moon. I am unable to wait to see what these cameras carry again.
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