The iPhone 17 Pro Max has achieved something no smartphone has done before: capturing photos of Earth from outer space. NASA has shared three stunning images taken by astronauts part of the Artemis II mission.
This is the first time astronauts have used a smartphone to capture photos of the Earth.
Shot on iPhone — in space
NASA shared three stunning photos on Flickr, showing Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Christina Koch looking back at Earth from the spacecraft’s cabin window.
The images are striking on their own. But metadata reveals an even more impressive detail: the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s front camera captured these images. These aren’t untouched iPhone photos, though. NASA’s team edited them in Adobe Lightroom, likely to adjust exposure and framing.
In February, the agency confirmed that the iPhone 17 Pro was fully qualified for use in orbit, allowing astronauts to bring their devices and capture personal photos.
Photo: NASA
Unlike previous iPhones, the iPhone 17 family uses a new square front camera sensor. The 18MP Center Stage camera features an f/1.9 aperture with autofocus support. More importantly, the square-shaped sensor allows for unprecedented flexibility in how you can frame your photos and videos.
This single feature alone justifies buying an iPhone 17. And there’s no better validation of this than the Artemis II crew using the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s front camera to capture photos from outer space.
The Artemis II crew captured other photos on the mission using the Nikon D5, GoPro HERO 4 Black, and Nikon Z9.
While several Android phones pack more advanced cameras than the iPhone 17 Pro, none can match its simplicity and reliability. That’s perhaps the reason why the iPhone became the first smartphone to take photos of the Earth from orbit.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
