---
title: "NASA Astronaut Shares Image of Kaaba from Space"
url: "https:\/\/theislamicinformation.com\/news\/nasa-astronaut-shares-image-of-kaaba-from-space\/"
type: "post"
updated: "2025-12-04"
description: "Astronaut Donald Pettit photographs Kaaba from the International Space Station, with the illuminated Makkah city visible as a distinct bright."
taxonomies: ["News","Makkah","Saudi Arabia","Space"]
---

# NASA Astronaut Shares Image of Kaaba from Space

Source: https://theislamicinformation.com/news/nasa-astronaut-shares-image-of-kaaba-from-space/
Updated: 2025-12-04

**Key Takeaways**

- Pettit currently aboard ISS on his fourth spaceflight
- NASA astronaut Donald Pettit photographs Makkah from space
- Kaaba appears as bright central point in night-time image

---

**HOUSTON** — NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit has captured a remarkable nighttime image of Makkah city from the International Space Station with the Kaaba. The photograph, taken from approximately 250 miles above Earth.

![Kaaba from Space 2025 December Don Pettit](https://theislamicinformation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kaaba-from-Space-2025-December-Don-Pettit-1600x2400.webp)

*Photo by Donald Pettit*

Astronaut Donald Pettit, currently serving as a flight engineer aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 71/72, utilized specialized photography equipment to capture the detailed image during a night pass over Saudi Arabia.

Pettit, known for his scientific photography from space, has previously documented cities, natural phenomena, and experimental procedures throughout his 590-day career in orbit.

Selected by NASA in 1996, Pettit holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and previously worked as a staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

His current mission, launched September 11, 2024, focuses on advancing in-orbit manufacturing, water sanitization, and microgravity fire research—all critical technologies for future deep-space exploration.