- We get pictures from the Artemis II mission
- Some of these were snapped with the iPhone 17 Pro Max
- The mission is approaching half way
We know that the crew of the Artemis II mission took iPhones into space with them, and now we’re getting back some amazing snaps from the astronauts as they head for the moon.
As shared by NASA, we have spectacular images of Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman looking back toward their home planet as the Orion spacecraft pulls away from it — at speeds of thousands of miles per hour.
A quick look at the images in NASA’s archive (here and here) show that both of these photos were taken with the selfie camera of an iPhone 17 Pro Max. It’s the same model that got a 4.5/5 star rating in its TechRadar review.
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The astronauts themselves are sharing photos on social media: here’s another photo from Reid Wiseman, the 50-year-old designated as the mission’s overall commander. The caption simply reads “There are no words.”
There and back again
This view just hits home differently 🌍 @Astro_Christina and @astro_reid take a moment to look back at Earth as they continue deep into space towards the Moon. pic.twitter.com/NMDeLj256KApril 4, 2026
There’s likely to be a lot more to come, too, as Orion reaches the moon, circles it, and heads back home. We know that the spacecraft is equipped with laser communication technology that can maintain a high-speed link with Earth.
NASA has also shared an image of the moon taken by the Artemis II crew, with the Orientale Basin visible on the lunar surface. It is apparently the first time the basin has been seen in its entirety with human eyes.
When the team of astronauts has circled the moon and begun to return, they will have gone farther from Earth than any humans before them — about 252,757 miles, or 406,773 kilometers.
The mission is now on its fourth day and the entire trip is expected to take 10 days. When the Orion spacecraft returns to Earth orbit, it will mark another first: the fastest crew ever attempted again, at about 25,000 miles per hour (40,234 kilometers per hour).
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