Tim Peake takes off for space station
Above:
(left to right) Tim Peake, Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra.
British former Army pilot Tim Peake is making history as the first official UK astronaut.
Lift off was from from pad 1, the same one used by Sputnik, the first satellite, and Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
Delivering 26 million horse-power, their Soyuz rocket carried them 1,640 km downrange and lifted them 210 km above our planet in 10 minutes.
The trip to the Space Station should take only six hours, orbiting Earth four times as they catch up with the outpost flying at 28 800 km/h. The trio have a backup itinerary of two days that mission controllers can call on if necessary.
The spacecraft will dock with the Earth-facing port of the Russian Rassvet module at around 17:23 GMT. Astronauts on both sides will ensure there are no leaks before opening the hatches around 90 minutes later.