Russian, American and Briton arrive at Intl Space Station

Tim Peake can expect to be propelled straight into challenging work on the International Space Station (ISS) but will also have the greatest time of his life, according to a fellow European astronaut. Since NASA stopped its own launching vehicles, Soyuz rockets have been ferrying the astronauts to and from the space station during regular intervals.

The launch went off with no reported problems and the capsule entered orbit about nine minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of about 125 miles (212 kilometers).

The hatch opened at 19:59 GMT – allowing the British, Russian and American astronauts to step out of the capsule – just over two hours after their Russian Soyuz TMA-19 capsule docked on the side.

Joining Peake are US astronaut Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.

“Tim has trained for six years, so he will know the spacecraft and the space station inside out”.

At a press conference in Baikonur yesterday Major Peake said what he was looking forward to most was his first glimpse of Earth seen from space.

Malenchenko was particularly up to the task: He is a veteran of six space missions, both to the International Space Station and Russia’s Mir space station, and he has commanded the Soyuz during launch multiple times.

But the team will spend the rest of their first evening getting in touch with their families back on Earth and undergoing safety briefings, after enjoying their first meal together since lift off this morning.

Millions around the country paused in front of TVs and computer screens to watch a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Major Peake and two other astronauts – Timothy Kopra of the United States and Yuri Malenchenko of Russia – blast off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.

A former Army aviator and helicopter test pilot, Major Peake is the first Briton to join the crew of the ISS.

Today’s launch is particularly significant because it is carrying Peake, the first-ever British astronaut to visit the International Space Station. “But that first sunrise was absolutely spectacular, and we also got the benefit of a moonrise on the first orbit as well, which was lovely to see”.

It was a lovely day…and night, and day, and night and day…before Major Tim Peake arrived at the International Space Station, his home for the next six months. You show up and you jump right into the scientific programme, the technical work, the maintenance.