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
More photos are coming in of the lift-off in Kazakhstan this morning.
Image source, ESA/Stephane Corvaja/Getty
Image source, EPA/Maxim Shipenkov
Image source, NASA/Joel Kowsky/Getty...but the shots most of us can't forget are those of Tim Peake waving goodbye to his son, through the window of the bus:
Image source, AFP PhotoThe European Space Agency tweets:
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Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
John Nowell asks:
Why did Tim suddenly become weightless? I presume gravity is still present, so why is weightlessness not a gradual process as we get further from earth?
The rocket drives the capsule into orbit. As it accelerates the astronauts are pressed back into their seats, so they will not experience weightlessness until the engines are shut down.
But if you watch for the fluffy toys or other trinkets that hang from the “ceiling” of the capsule during the ascent, you will suddenly see them start to move in a way that tells you they have entered free-fall.
Liz Barron asks:
If one of the team had to drop out just before the launch, what would happen? Would the whole team be replaced with the stand-by team in order to maintain the team dynamic, or would it just be the individual astronaut that was replaced?
All astronauts are selected now on the basis of the group dynamic. Long gone are the days when the “right stuff” alone was sufficient to get you on the corps.
The training is such that if anyone has to drop out at the last moment, another astronaut can be slotted very easily into their place.
Remember, the three-person crews do not train in isolation; they train with the other astronauts as well, gaining from past experience. This will have been hugely helpful for Tim as he grapples with his new experience.
Email us your views - haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
The Soyuz capsule is catching up on the International Space Station - by 15:47 GMT it should be within 124 miles (200km).
In terms of steering - there are six key moves. One down, five to go...
Earlier today, David Cameron sent this tweet to show he was just as caught up in Tim Peake's launch as the rest of the country:
Enter journalists and political opponents, who had a lot of fun with Photoshop:
Read the full story on BBC Trending:
You're travelling at five miles per second in a jumbo-sized home, 250 miles above the Earth surface. But how do you lie down and sleep - or wash your hair? Claire Marshall reports:
International Space Station in numbers as a Soyuz rocket carries Briton Tim Peake on his landmark flight to the International Space Station.
Read MoreGet involved - tweet @BBC_HaveYourSay
A little earlier, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen spoke to the BBC about what it's like arriving at the International Space Station.
He spent 10 days on board the ISS in September 2015.
The critical time, Dr Mogensen said, is when they get within 400m of docking; at that time the crew will be monitoring every instrument in case anything goes wrong and they need to take manual control.
Dr Mogensen on the BBC News Channel
Quote MessageAfter six hours of sitting in their seats, they'll be looking forward to opening the hatch and flying on board the space station."
Andreas Mogensen, Danish astronaut
Image source, NASAOn 24 April 2016, Tim will run a marathon on a treadmill aboard the space station, at the same time as more than 30,000 people run the London Marathon in the UK.
Tim ran the London Marathon in 1999, finishing in 3:18.50, but he won’t try and beat this time in space. He’ll be wearing cumbersome restraining straps to stop him floating off the equipment.
Every other day, Tim will need to exercise up to two hours to counteract the effects of living in microgravity.
Explore how living in space can affect your body, with BBC iWonder.
Image source, ESATim Peake's parents describe his rocket launch as "magical" and "emotional".
Seasoned BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh, despite his considerable excitement, struggled to make himself heard over the sound of the Soyuz rocket lifting off.
We recommend turning your volume down before you watch this one..
Watch: Jeremy Paxman grills Tim to find out how his space work will benefit people in Britain.
The first British astronaut to go into space was Helen Sharman.
A group of private companies negotiated a seat on a Soyuz mission to the Russian Mir space station. Soon after, an advertisement went out: ‘Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary’.
Helen Sharman was selected from 13,000 applicants and trained intensely for 18 months in Star City, Russia.
She launched on 18 May 1991, aged 27, alongside two Soviet cosmonauts and spent eight days in space.
Read more about British missions into space.
Image source, Getty ImagesTim's family were at Baikonur to see the Soyuz rocket blast off into space. It was quite a moment.
Rebecca Morelle
Science correspondent, BBC News
Later, on this page or on the BBC News Channel, you can follow the Soyuz capsule's rendezvous with the International Space Station at 17:03 GMT and see it docking at 17:23 GMT.
But if you are in the UK - weather permitting - you might able to pop outside and get a glimpse with your very own eyes!
At 17:14 GMT, the ISS will be visible in the evening sky for about three minutes.
It looks like a very bright fast-moving plane, but it will appear as a steady - not blinking - white burst of light.
More details of where you need to look are available here on the Nasa website, external.
Image source, ESA/Science Photo LibraryEurope at night - with the UK on the right - as seen from the ISS
Watch the video below to see breathtaking footage of Earth, as seen from the ISS.
Tim Peake won't have this particular view just yet - but even during the launch, we could see the curve of the Earth through the capsule window next to him.
Quote MessageIt's a sensation that is incredibly hard to grasp and quite emotional."
Michael Lopez-Alegria, Former ISS crew member
Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Some answers to questions we received earlier:
What happens to the rocket boosters that detached from the rocket – do they burn up or land somewhere?
The four rocket boosters were released 1 minute and 58 seconds into the flight, from a height of about 40km above the earth.
Empty of fuel, the debris follows a trajectory that takes it to an uninhabited area, more than 350km away from the launch pad in the Kazakh steppe.
Helen Sharman told us that “remarkably little has changed” - both in regard to the suits and to the Soyuz module, in which she also travelled.
The timing is calculated based on the precise location of the ISS in its orbit - placing the Soyuz in position to "chase" the ISS for six hours, rather than two days as used to be the case.
Meteorological unknowns can still mean that the Soyuz misses the precise window and has to travel for two days to catch up with the Space Station.
Most astronauts feel disorientated when they first go to space. Their vision might become distorted, their thinking is affected and they can experience mood swings.
Such sensations are known as the "space stupids", which can result in vomiting, accidents and getting lost on the Space Station.
Scientists think that it’s caused by stress and the lack of gravity.
Find out how astronauts could limit their cosmic confusion.
Image source, NASAApparently so. Good news - but let's hope the automatic system will save them the bother...