Russian capsule heads for space station

Screen grabbed image taken from footage issued by the European Space Agency of Major Tim Peake blasting off into orbit on board the Soyuz space capsule on his way to becoming the first British astronaut to join the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).

Fire from the boosters of the Soyuz TMA-19M rocket cut a bright light through the overcast sky at the Russia-operated cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, after the spacecraft launched on schedule at 1103 GMT (17.03 pm local time), according to live television broadcasts.

Peake, in particular, has created quite a bit of a buzz as he is the first British astronaut to fly under the European Space Agency (ESA).

Travelling with him are Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko and Nasa astronaut Tim Kopra.

Peake is not the first Brit to go into space, though.

He reached orbit in just 10 minutes, but will not catch up with the orbiting space station for another six hours. There have been other UK-born astronauts, but they either held US citizenship or were privately funded.

Specifically, Peake will be performing experiments on himself to evaluate the effects of space flight on the human body.

Crew members spend about 35 hours each week conducting research in many disciplines to advance scientific knowledge in Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences for the benefit of people living on our home planet.

MAJOR Tim Peake will make history today when he blasts off to become the first British astronaut to serve on the International Space Station.

During a visit to Portsmouth Naval Base, he said: “It’s a big moment to see a British astronaut, a former serving officer, blasted off into space”.

‘They’ve seen where I’m going to eat, where I’m going to sleep, where I’m going to go to the loo, which is the most exciting part for them, ‘ said Major Peake.

In May 2009 Peake was selected out of 8,000 candidates as one of the future astronauts for Expedition 46-47 aboard the International Space Station. Peake is also a keen athlete, and as The Telegraph has reported, plans to run the London marathon while in space.

A Russian orthodox priest walked around the 162ft (49m) high rocket which will carry Major Peake into space, sprinkling holy water on its fuselage and boosters and muttering prayers.