As it happened: Tim Peake launches to space station

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

Live Reporting

Jonathan Webb

'How many times will they celebrate new year anyway?!'published at 13:02
Email us your views - haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Jonathan Packham emails:
Coming from the same town (Chichester) and indeed going to the same school, albeit different years (by one!) I can't describe how proud I actually feel right now, and how nervous I felt for Tim during the launch. A truly momentous occasion for the whole of the UK.
Here's to a successful and safe mission. How many times will they get to celebrate new year?!
Rebecca Peake: 'The tears are over - now it's the good part'published at 12:58
Tim's wife Rebecca Peake spoke to the BBC earlier:
Memories come flooding back for Helen Sharmanpublished at 12:52
The UK's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, has been speaking to BBC science editor David Shukman.
She said watching Tim Peake launch into space brought back a lot of memories from her 1991 trip to the Mir space station.
Quote Message
Tim will be pleased that it’s all going exactly to plan so far."
Helen Sharman
The invisible threat of radiation in spacepublished at 12:51
No matter where you live on Earth, you receive a small dose of radiation each day. But astronauts living on the International Space Station are exposed to over 80 times that amount.
Cosmic rays are one dangerous form of space radiation. On Earth we’re protected by a magnetic field, which acts as a shield. But in space, astronauts are very exposed.
Just one particle has the power to zap through human tissue and break apart DNA, potentially leading to mutations and cancers.
What solutions are scientists working on right now?
Relive the launch: From base to spacepublished at 12:45
This morning in Kazakhstan, Tim Peake waved goodbye to his family, took his place in the rocket capsule and blasted off on his landmark journey into space.
The Soyuz craft is now moving into orbit, accelerating towards the International Space Station; it is scheduled to dock at 17:24 GMT.
Watch the highlights so far:
Will Tim get the chance to conduct a spacewalk?published at 12:38
The International Space Station has been in continuous operation for 15 years and requires regular maintenance.
Currently the only way to make external repairs is on a spacewalk – a task Tim has been training for since 2012.
There have been 189 spacewalks outside the station to date.
In 2013, Tim’s classmate Luca Parmitano performed two spacewalks. During his second, he reported water leaking into his helmet.
By the time he returned to the Station, water had obscured his vision and was covering his nose – putting him in danger of drowning. After waiting for the pressure to normalise, his crewmates removed his suit and he soon recovered.
Tim Peake learned to spacewalk in Esa’s Neutral Buoyancy Facility:
And here's more on the challenges of spacewalk, from BBC Two's Horizon special, external:
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Get in touch: 'Tim is the same age as me...'published at 12:32
Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Chris Lowther emails:
Getting mankind into space including Tim Peake is a fantastic engineering feat. Let us remember, engineers turn ideas into reality so they should get the credit - not just the scientists.
Chaffinch class at Wooden Hill School emails:
Hope everything goes well. We have been learning all about your mission and writing about what it takes to be an astronaut! We even learnt about your life! We are inspired by you and want to go up into space like you!
Sam Amps emails:
Just realised Tim is the same age as me. I guess I'm a bit late starting my astronaut training!
'Burn-your-retinas bright': The view from Baikonurpublished at 12:30
BBC News online science editor Paul Rincon is in Kazakhstan.
He said that looking on from the desert nearby, the sight of the rocket blasting off was "so bright you couldn't even look at it".
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Image source, NASA/Joel Kowsky/Getty Images
Image caption,
It took a long lens to get this close
Are you made of ‘the right stuff’ for space flight?published at 12:14
Ninety-five percent (or 856) of the candidates in Esa’s latest astronaut selection campaign, which picked Tim Peake, were dismissed because they failed the psychological requirements.
Do you have the right personality to cope with life in space?
Take Tim's test to find out.
Get Involved: 'This is why I'm studying to be an engineer'published at 12:10
Tweet us your thoughts at @BBC_HaveYourSay
What could you not live without in space?published at 12:05
What would you take with you to the International Space Station? Tea? Your favourite teddy bear? A toothbrush?
Here are some of your suggestions.
Image source, @suzieobbo
And here are five things that Tim Peake has packed in his 1.5kg personal allowance:
The Principia launch - seen from above...published at 12:02
Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly, currently spending a whole year on board the International Space Station, tweeted this view of the Soyuz:
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Health hazard: How living in space can affect your bodypublished at 11:59
Medic and space health expert Kevin Fong explains what space flight can do to you:
Also read this guide from BBC iWonder: What makes space travel so dangerous?
What a moment: Tim Peake's thumbs-up from Soyuz capsulepublished at 11:53
Tim looked remarkably relaxed as the Soyuz capsule lifted off earlier:
Meanwhile, back in the UK: British space industry boomspublished at 11:51
Britain’s space sector was recently valued at £12bn – doubled from a decade ago.
Its world-leading satellite businesses and contributions to major space projects now support more than 115,000 jobs.
Discover Britain’s hidden role in the space race, with BBC iWonder
Image source, Airbus Defence and Space
'Don't forget your tea!'published at 11:50
Tweet us at @BBC_HaveYourSay
Get involved: School students send up rocket in tributepublished at 11:47
Tweet us at @BBC_HaveYourSay
Students at Sir George Monoux College, Walthamstow, east London, launch their own rocket to celebrate the big event:
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Tim Peake's parents: 'Won't beat this one'published at 11:44
BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford has been speaking to Tim's mum and dad:
The beginning of an exciting adventurepublished at 11:40 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2015
Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website, Baikonur
It was freezing cold here at Baikonur Cosmodrome, but the evening sun cast a warm glow on the Soyuz rocket that was to take Tim Peake on his first flight into space.
Tim looked to be in good spirits as he got into his white Sokol flight suit earlier in the day – smiling, giving the press the thumbs up, and in one touching moment waving goodbye to his two young sons Oliver and Thomas from the window of the bus that was taking him to the launch pad.
Image source, AFP Photo
As the support structures fell away from the Soyuz, for everyone who has been following Mr Peake’s amazing journey, there was tension.
Then the engines fired up and the rocket soared into Baikonur’s clear skies on a column of flame.
For many here, this was the happy conclusion they had been waiting for.
But for Mr Peake, and Britain, it’s just the beginning of an exciting adventure.
Image source, AP Photo
How do you catch a space station?published at 11:38
It takes several large, but very carefully calculated engine boosts.
The latest from the European Space Agency:
First of all, however, there was that heartstopping blast from the rocket that got the capsule, with Tim Peake and the crew on board, off the ground:
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