Flying over Earth

A view from the International Space Station of Earth taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst during his six-month Blue Dot mission.

In the foreground is the Soyuz spacecraft that brought Alexander and his crewmates NASA Reid Wiseman and Roscosmos cosmonaut Maxim Suarev to the Station.

Travelling at speeds of 28 800 km/h 400 km high, the Station takes only 90 minutes to do a complete orbit of Earth, giving astronauts 16 sunsets and sunrises each day – in addition to the beautiful views.