Tim Peake lifts off

Britain's first official astronaut has begun his journey to the ISS, ahead of a six-month mission that will see him carry out numerous experiments in the floating laboratory.


A full replay of Time Peake's launch into space with Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra
Copyright: ESA

Tim Peake has blasted off to become Britain’s first ever official astronaut in space as he makes his journey to the International Space Station.

Tim, together with NASA’s Tim Copra and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, lifted off in the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:03 UT, marking the beginning of his Principia mission on board the weightless laboratory.
The trip is due to last about six hours and will see the spacecraft orbit Earth four times as they catch up with the ISS, which is travelling at 28,800 km/h.
Tim’s six-month spell onboard the ISS will see him carry out research as part of his Principia mission, named after Isaac Newton’s work Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which describes the principals of gravity and motion. The mission will involve Tim carrying out over 30 scientific experiments for ESA.


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