Summary

  • British astronaut Tim Peake has returned to Earth after a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

  • During his mission, Major Peake completed the first spacewalk by a UK astronaut and ran the London Marathon

  • He completed 2,976 orbits of Earth and covered a distance of roughly 125 million km

  • A Soyuz capsule carrying Major Peake, American Tim Kopra and Russian Yuri Malenchenko touched down in Kazakhstan at 10:15 BST on Saturday

  • Tim Peake described his journey back to Earth as "the best ride I've been on ever"

  1. Locked and loadedpublished at 03:35 British Summer Time 18 June 2016

    The hatch being closedImage source, European Space Agency

    Tim Peake, Tim Kopra and Yuri Malenchenko have said their goodbyes and are now in the Soyuz spacecraft that will bring them home. The hatch is closed and the trio are going through their checklist before undocking.

  2. Piling on the poundspublished at 02:13 British Summer Time 18 June 2016

    Having spent the past six months living in zero-G, Major Tim will soon feel the full force of gravity tugging down on his body.

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  3. Readapting to life on Earthpublished at 00:19 British Summer Time 18 June 2016

    What will it be like for Tim Peake when he gets home? Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, recalls being a "bit wobbly" on her return from orbit in 1991.

    Media caption,

    Tim Peake is likely to feel unsteady after landing says fellow astronaut Helen Sharman.

  4. 'Snapper" Timpublished at 23:18 British Summer Time 17 June 2016

    There's no doubting Tim's expertise behind the camera. During his stay on the ISS he's taking some breathtaking pictures: majestic mountain terrains, swirling weather systems, brilliant auroras, and of course one or two shots of "Blighty".

    UKImage source, NASA/ESA
    Image caption,

    A Sunday summer's evening in June, looking down the UK's east coast

    Do you have a favourite? Tim Peake's images are all collected on his Flickr stream, external.

    Taking pictures on the space station is not easy. You have to sweep the lens as you depress the shutter of the picture will smear somewhat (the station is moving at 27,500km/h; 17,000mph).

    The mapping company ESRI UK has a very nice tool, external that links the astronaut's pictures to their locations on the Earth surface.

  5. Naval bell signals the changepublished at 14:35 British Summer Time 17 June 2016

    US Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra has handed over command of the International Space Station to his Nasa colleague Jeff Williams. 

    He did it in the naval way - by ringing a bell.

    Tim Kopra will now return to Earth with UK astronaut Tim Peake and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.

    So, that's out with Expedition 47, and in with Expedition 48. 

    Jeff Williams' crew comprises Russians Aleksey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka; along with the soon-to-arrive American Kathleen Rubins, Russian Anatoli Ivanishin, and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.

    Bell ringingImage source, NASA/ESA
    Image caption,

    A naval tradition that army man Tim Kopra is happy to continue

  6. A well-oiled machine on the Steppepublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 17 June 2016

    David Shukman
    Science editor, BBC News, Karagandy

    Returning to Earth requires an operation as carefully choreographed as a launch. The Russian space agency has mobilised an impressive force to receive Tim Peake and his two colleagues. 

    At a briefing this morning in the Kazakh city of Karaganda, the head of aviation confirmed that no fewer than 13 helicopters would be involved together with three planes. A convoy of all-terrain vehicles is already on the move to the landing zone in a remote area of steppe. Possible trajectories for the spacecraft have been plotted and will be fine-tuned as the capsule descends. 

    The aim is to minimise the time between touchdown and the arrival of specialist recovery teams. A well-versed plan is in place to get the astronauts into fresh air as quickly as possible. 

    The chief medic reported that all three are in good health and the head of astronaut training said they had passed the challenges of two simulated descents earlier this month. The Russian landing method is dramatic and occasionally violent but it has been safe for several decades. 

    There's a quiet confidence here but everyone acknowledges that anything involving space is unpredictable.

  7. Time to come home, Major Peake!published at 14:13 British Summer Time 17 June 2016

    Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of Tim Peake's return from space!

    Major Peake is preparing to leave the ISS after an historic six-month stay on the International Space Station.

    Stay tuned for updates from BBC correspondents in the UK, Russia and Kazakhstan, as preparations get under way for a landing on Saturday morning.

    On Thursday, Tim tweeted this photo, external of the view from his seat in the Soyuz capsule that will bring him home.

    View from SoyuzImage source, NASA/ESA
    Image caption,

    Tim has a window seat for his return to Earth