Looks very cool so far. I'm not getting much of an "alien planet" vibe right now, but I'm guessing you are still planning more work on this. As far as desert though, looking solid, can't wait to see where you take this
I think the sand could look more "sandy". It depends on the look you are going for but maybe this link could help. It's a powerpoint of the techniques used for the sand rendering in Journey.
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http://advances.realtimerendering.com/s2012/thatgamecompany/SandRenderingInJourney_thatgamecompany.pptx
Looking forward to seeing more.