Striking views of Arab countries from space in 20 KhalifaSat images

From Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to Oman, the first Emirati-built satellite has photographed many Arab nations

The Expo 2020 Dubai site captured in a satellite image. All photos: MBRSC

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre.

Manama City in Bahrain.

KhalifaSat captured the Ain Dubai, the world's biggest and tallest observation wheel, on Bluewaters Island.

The King Fahd Causeway in Bahrain. These are a series of bridges that connect Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Abu Dhabi photographed from space.

KhalifaSat's first image was of Dubai's Palm Jumeirah, taken in 2018.

The Holy Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The Kuwait Towers, a popular tourist attraction that includes three tall structures, captured from space.

The Museum of the Future, which is expected to open this year, is visible from space.

Sharjah Mosque, the largest mosque in the emirate.

Kuwait, which has a population of more than 4.5 million people, seen from space.

The Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mosque in Al Ain captured in a satellite image.

Al Jubail Island in Abu Dhabi.

The Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman captured by KhalifaSat.

Muscat, the capital of Oman, seen from space.

Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest summit at about 2,000 metres, in Ras Al Khaimah.

Jeddah Flagpole in Saudi Arabia.

Another view of Muscat.

The first Emirati-built satellite has been capturing stunning views across the Arab region since its launch in 2018.

From photos of Dubai’s artificial islands and skyscrapers to the unique landscape and architecture in Saudi Arabia, KhalifaSat has shown how remarkable these structures look from space.

It is the UAE’s third Earth-observation satellite, but is the most advanced one so far. The first two were DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2.

Since launching into space on a Japanese rocket, the 330-kilogram satellite has captured tens of thousands of images, including of landmarks, disaster-struck areas and ones for commercial use.

The National highlights some of the most impressive photos KhalifaSat has captured over the years of the UAE and other Arab countries.

Its lifespan was designed for five years, but the engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre plan to use it for as long as possible.

An even more advanced version is set to launch next year, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The MBZ-Sat satellite is expected to be the region’s most powerful Earth-observation satellite.

Named after Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the satellite weighs about 800 kilograms.

KhalifaSat will remain operational even after the launch of MBZ-Sat and will continue supplying images.

30 stunning images of the UAE from space — in pictures