In summary:
- NASA’s Artemis II astronauts used an iPhone 17 Pro to capture stunning Earth photographs from space, marking the first smartphone fully qualified for extended orbital use.
- Macworld reports the specially configured iPhones lack internet and Bluetooth connectivity, serving exclusively for photography during the mission.
- These impressive space images could potentially revive Apple’s popular ‘Shot on iPhone’ advertising campaign, showcasing the device’s advanced camera capabilities in extreme conditions.
Remember the Shot on iPhone ad campaign? Well, a pair of photos from the astronauts on Artemis II might spur Apple to bring it back.
As they make their way toward the moon–an event that will be livestreamed today beginning at 1 p.m. ET–the astronauts Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman shared two incredible photos of Earth (via NASA’s X account) taken from the window of the Orion spacecraft. But it wasn’t taken with a high-tech camera. It was snapped with an iPhone 17 Pro.
Originally conceived to promote the iPhone 6, the Shot on iPhone campaign ran for years and featured original photography from iPhone users. In 2019, Apple ran a contest and selected 10 winners to showcase their shots on billboards in select cities, in Apple stores, and online. If the same contest were held this year, there’s no question that these two shots would be among the winners.
Inside the dim Orion spacecraft, a window in the center of the image shows a brightly lit Earth and astronaut Reid Wiseman sits on the right side looking back at Earth.
NASA
As reported by The New York Times, the iPhones onboard the spacecraft are strictly for taking photos and can’t connect to the internet or Bluetooth accessories. Apple has no part in the planning or selection of the phones used on board, but we assume they’re pretty happy with the results.
The photos are of Koch and Reid looking out the window at Earth, which is nearly fully visible. The alt-text included reads: “Inside the dim Orion spacecraft, a window in the center of the image shows a brightly lit Earth and an astronaut sits on the right side looking back at Earth.” The photos were snapped with an iPhone 17 Pro, but it’s not clear what zoom or settings were used.
While iPhones have traveled through space before, this is the first time a smartphone has been fully qualified for extended use in orbit.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.