Sultan Al Neyadi completes historic spacewalk

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has made history by becoming the first Arab to perform a spacewalk. 

NASA announced the moment history was made as the Emirati astronaut emerged from the hatch to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) 30 minutes in from the official start of the spacewalk mission.

The NASA engineer also congratulated the United Arab Emirates on the landmark moment.

The first images as Sultan Al Neyadi emerged from the ISS were captured by his helmet camera.

Dr Al Neyadi and colleague Stephen Bowen's mission was scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours to route cables for future power system upgrades.

As Friday's historic mission came to an end, at just over seven hours, Sultan Al Neyadi shared a message outside the ISS - "It's a great moment for the UAE," he said.