Summary
Tim Peake launches into space and becomes Britain's first official astronaut to fly to the International Space Station
His lift-off, on a Russian Soyuz rocket with Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko and US astronaut Tim Kopra, happened at 11:03 GMT
After six-and-a-half hours, at 17:33 GMT, their capsule successfully docked with the ISS
Two-and-a-half hours after that, the hatch finally opened and the ISS crew welcomed the three newcomers on board
Mr Peake, previously an Army major and helicopter pilot, will spend six months on board the space station orbiting the Earth
He has spent six years training to become the first professional British astronaut to be employed by the European Space Agency
A view of the docked Soyuz capsule, seen from the ISSpublished at 18:09
Manual docking: A rare but well-rehearsed backuppublished at 18:00
Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website, BaikonurIt's a rare event for the Soyuz crew to have to manually dock the spacecraft at the space station.
The Kurs radar system that failed is one of the two main ways controllers have of determining where the Soyuz is relative to the space station. The other is measurements taken from the ground.
The immense skill required to manually dock the capsule in open space is exactly why Tim and the other crew members undergo such rigorous training for a range of different failure scenarios.
Image source, ESAStay with us for the final stage, when Tim floats to his new homepublished at 17:56
The live feed from the European Space Agency (Esa) has ended but you can still watch the BBC News Channel using the "Live Coverage" tab above - featuring commentary and updates from the International Space Station.
And stay with us to see Tim Peake, Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra enter the space station.
Hatch opening is scheduled for 19:25 GMT.
In the meantime, the three crew members have some work to do - shutting down the spacecraft's systems and checking for leaks...
While we wait for the hatch to open: Preview Tim's six months in spacepublished at 17:45 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
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End of twitter postRelief and congratulations on Twitterpublished at 17:39
Docking: 'Congratulations on the capture - we were a little bit worried'published at 17:35
BreakingThe Soyuz capsule, containing Tim Peake and his two fellow crew members Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra, has docked successfully at the International Space Station.
Congratulations to everybody involved!
The Esa commentators and mission control have both said it was a tense docking procedure.
Now there will be two hours of further checks and work before the three men can float into the ISS.
Less than 20m to go...published at 17:30
As you can see, there are some problems with the video feed from the Soyuz, affecting what we can see.
The craft is less than 20m from its docking point, we can hear.
Image source, ESAImage caption, Instrument screen showing (on left) the view from the Soyuz
Image source, ESAImage caption, The screens in mission control
Tweet your views: 'Wonder and excitement'published at 17:24
Get involved: @BBC_HaveYourSay
Watching with baited breath in Kazakhstanpublished at 17:26 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
Open University's Prof Monica Grady is in the Baikonur cinema, closely watching docking progress:
Retreat for another approach - manual control, 25m to gopublished at 17:20
The crew is now controlling the approach manually, after retreating slightly from the space station.
Image source, ESASlowly does it - tiny adjustments align capsule with its docking stationpublished at 17:16 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
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End of twitter postHere it comes! The Soyuz capsule seen from the Space Stationpublished at 17:13 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
Image source, ESASpace station crosses UK's west coastpublished at 17:11 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
If it's not cloudy where you are, you can step outside and wave - but be quick!
Crossing the UK, France and Germany takes less than two minutes, say the commentators from the European Space Agency.
Explained: The dangling object that floated when the Soyuz reached orbitpublished at 17:09 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
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End of twitter postHere's that moment again, in video...
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End of twitter post 2Live now: Coverage of docking - less than 20 minutes to go...published at 17:07 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
Use the "Live Coverage" tab above to watch the Esa TV's coverage of the docking process.
"Final approach in about 10 minutes," we've just heard.
Ready to watch the arrival, on a big screen in Baikonurpublished at 17:00
Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website, BaikonurAnticipation is building at Agat Hall, a cinema in Baikonur Town, where space agency officials along with friends and family of the crew are due this evening to watch the docking and ingress.
At the moment, there is no-one here but the media and their satellite trucks.
The screen set up for the event is showing replays of today's launch from Nasa TV, allowing everyone to appreciate the Soviet-era paintings of key moments in the history of space flight.
Image caption, Waiting for a crowd of well-wishers...
After nearly six hours - the space station is in sight!published at 16:56
The latest from the European Space Agency:
The seven Britons who have been to spacepublished at 16:52
Tim Peake is the first UK astronaut to go into space in more than 20 years - and the first who has been selected as an official astronaut of the European Space Agency.
But who are the six other Britons who have slipped Earth's surly bonds?
Image source, RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYImage caption, Helen Sharman visited the Mir space station in 1991
How do astronauts spend Christmas in space?published at 16:42
25 December has become a traditional holiday on the Space Station. To celebrate, astronauts:
- Take the day off, apart from any essential repair work
- Hang Christmas decorations and put up a fire-proof artificial tree
- Gather for a celebratory meal, fastened to the table
- Receive treats from home, like chocolate and cookies
- Drink no alcohol, as the water processing system on the ISS could be overwhelmed if it entered the plumbing
- Finally, listen to music or watch a movie - then call friends and family back on Earth
Image source, NASALess than an hour until dockingpublished at 16:33
At 17:00 GMT you will be able to watch live coverage of the Soyuz capsule arriving at the space station, right here on this page.
The video feed will come from Esa (the European Space Agency).
Docking is scheduled for 17:23 - and another two hours after that, the hatch opens.
Image source, Science Photo LibraryImage caption, This Soyuz craft, pictured leaving the ISS in 2010, is the same type (TMA-19M) as the one currently on its way