Happy New Year 2016: Tim Peake greets Edinburgh's Hogmanay revellers from ISS

Astronaut Tim Peake sent New Year's greetings from space to Earth dwellers. The former army helicopter pilot wished "everybody on our beautiful planet Earth" a happy and healthy New Year.

Major Peake delivered his message from the International Space Station (ISS) to as many as 75,000 revellers at Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party. Commenting on the magnitude of the event, the director of Edinburgh's Hogmanay, Peter Irvine, said: "This is a truly global event with revellers joining us from around the world. This year we've gone one better and will be visited from space."

The event collaborated with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) to ensure that Major Peake's New Year message was delivered to the party-goers just before midnight, on New Year's Eve.

Speaking about the contrasting New Year's experiences on Earth as well as space, Dr Simon Gage, the director of Edinburgh's science festival, said while people enjoyed the few hours of revelry at the Edinburgh street party, the ISS would have, in the meantime, completed three orbits of the Earth.

Tim Peake is the first British astronaut to have travelled to the ISS and be employed by a space agency. Peake, who arrived at the ISS on 15 December, 2015, missed spending Christmas with his family and friends. However, since his arrival at the space station, Peake says he has found life in space "absolutely spectacular".

Peake, however, does not seem to have much luck connecting with his family on Earth. After being forced to leave a voicemail for his parents when he first tried to call them, just days later, Peake dialled the wrong number when trying to call his family. He then posted a tweet, apologising to the lady he apparently mistakenly called.