UAE astronaut al-Neyadi shares breathtaking images of Sahara sandstorm from ISS

United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi, who is currently at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the longest Arab space mission to date, has shared incredible pictures of a sandstorm in the Sahara Desert.

Al-Neyadi blasted into space on March 2 from the United States’ NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of a six-month mission which will carry out experiments ranging from human cell growth in space to controlling combustible materials in microgravity.

Sultan al-Neyani said one of his favorite things to do is take photos from space. (Twitter)

The UAE astronaut on Thursday shared breathtaking images on Twitter of the sandstorm in the north African desert.

“From so far away, I am constantly reminded of the beauty of our planet. One of my favorite activities on the ISS is getting behind the lens for Earth observation, capturing breathtaking sights that can only be witnessed from space,” al-Neyadi wrote on Twitter.

He continued: “I’m delighted to share this recent image I clicked of a sandstorm, sweeping across the enchanting Sahara Desert.”

A view of a sandstorm in the Sahara Desert taken by astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi. (Twitter)

The mission marks the sixth long-term ISS team that NASA has flown aboard SpaceX since the private rocket venture founded by Elon Musk – billionaire CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc and social media platform Twitter – began sending American astronauts to orbit in May 2020. This Dragon is named Endeavour.

Al-Neyadi, 41, is only the second person from his country to fly to space and the first to launch from US soil as part of a long-duration space station team.