In August 2026, NASA astronaut and United States Space Force Colonel Anil Menon captured a striking photograph of a super typhoon from the International Space Station’s Cupola using an iPhone. The image highlights a significant policy shift by NASA permitting crew members to take their iPhones into orbit to record and share spaceflight missions.
The Cupola Vantage Point and the Super Typhoon
Operating from the International Space Station, Menon utilized the station’s Cupola module to frame the swirling storm system brooding above the Pacific Ocean. The Cupola features a dome-shaped architecture equipped with six circumferential windows and a central nadir viewing window, providing an unobstructed panoramic workspace for orbital photography.
According to PetaPixel reporting, Menon shared the image on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday morning, noting, “The Pacific Ocean this morning from the cupola with an iPhone.” While Menon did not explicitly name the cyclone in his post, Space.com and other tracking outlets identified the meteorological event as Super Typhoon Dolphin. The storm achieved Category 5 status last week, marking the fifth tropical cyclone to reach that intensity in 2026. The storm tracked toward Japan, prompting weather warnings for residents on Okinawa Island ahead of its expected landfall.
Shifting NASA Policy on Personal Hardware in Orbit
The use of a commercial smartphone in space represents a break from legacy spaceflight protocols. Astronauts have only been permitted to take their iPhones since February this year, following a policy announcement by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. Isaacman stated that the agency decided to give crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world.
This hardware integration made its formal spaceflight debut when the Artemis II mission carried Apple devices on their trip around the Moon in April. During that mission, astronauts utilized the hardware for in-cabin documentation. For instance, NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peered out of an Orion spacecraft window looking back at Earth, and mission specialist Christina Koch captured views of the capsule interior and lunar trajectory using the front camera systems of iPhone 17 Pro Max units.
Connectivity Constraints and Orbital Networking Architecture
Operating a consumer smartphone in low Earth orbit requires adapting to unique infrastructural limitations. Cellular service does not exist in space, meaning traditional mobile network infrastructure is entirely absent.
To bridge this connectivity gap, the International Space Station maintains an internal Wi-Fi network. Astronauts connect their approved mobile devices to this local wireless infrastructure, enabling them to handle email, browse the web, and place IP-based phone calls back to Earth. This local-network tethering allows modern computational hardware and high-end image sensors to function effectively in an environment traditionally dominated by specialized, heavily hardened scientific cameras.
