iPhones travel beyond Earth's orbit as Artemis II crew departs from Florida

Astronauts are finally taking their iPhones along with them during space exploration. The astronauts on the historic 10-day Artemis II mission to fly around the Moon and back were seen taking their iPhones along with them for the journey. The move marks the first time that NASA astronauts are allowed to take their personal smartphones beyond the Earth's orbit.

Why are astronauts carrying their iPhones to space?

The move by NASA to allow astronauts to carry their personal smartphones was taken under a new initiative by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who announced earlier this year that astronauts have been cleared to fly with their smartphones to help crew members easily document the mission without relying on bulky, government-issued cameras.

“We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world. Just as important, we challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an expedited timeline. That operational urgency will serve NASA well as we pursue the highest-value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface.” Isaacman wrote in a post on X in February.

While iPhones have been allowed for the Artemis II mission, reports indicate that the devices will stay on Airplane mode in order to prevent interference with spacecraft systems. This means that the iPhones will essentially act as high-end cameras for taking more behind-the-scenes pictures that were not possible with earlier cameras.

While onboard the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will be able to connect their iPhones to the station's Wi-Fi to send photos and emails home but will not be able to make phone calls.

Notably, the Artemis II mission is special in more than one way. The mission marks humanity's first mission to the surface of the Moon in half a decade. The mission was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida on April 1. The crew of four astronauts are onboard the Orion spacecraft, and the liftoff of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was also captured on camera from an airborne flight.

Who are the Artemis II crew?

The four Artemis II crew members are Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), and Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist, CSA).

During the lunar flyby, the crew will take live images of the Moon, observe features never seen by humans, and witness a partial solar eclipse from their unique vantage point.