Watch British astronaut Tim Peake blast off to International Space Station

Russia’s Soyuz TMA-19M space capsule docked successfully with the International Space Station on Tuesday, bringing three astronauts to the orbiting platform.

Astronaut Timothy Peake, set to become the first Briton to travel to the International Space Station, said on the eve of his departure that he would look down on Earth at Christmas time and think of his family-hopefully while tucking into some Christmas pudding himself.

(CNN) – Astronaut Tim Peake is the first British European Space Agency astronaut to arrive at the International Space Station. The Russian rocket carries British astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and USA astronaut Tim Kopra.

To celebrate today’s launch, schoolchildren in Britain aged 7-11 have been taking part in “The Astro Science Challenge” to perform experiments that complement those that Tim Peake will be performing during his mission.

Major Peake launched from the same spot from which Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in April 1961.

Malenchenko took control of the Soyuz, backed it away from the station and then guided the capsule in for a manual docking.

Recent data has shown that some crew members on the ISS return to earth without losing muscle, bone and equally fit as when they left, he said.

The first to “step” on board the station, Major Peake said of the journey: “It was a lovely launch”, and added: “that sunrise was absolutely spectacular”.

Nasa has offered some advice to those hoping to follow in Tim Peake’s footsteps and blast into space as an astronaut.

Peake has been warned though, his methane bottom burps could ignite within the confined space if the air filter system is faulty.

Kopra took the picture back in 2009 and Echo & The Bunnymen returned the goodwill today well wishing Tim Peake and Tim Kopra safe trips to the ISS.

Don’t Stop Me Now by the rock group Queen was blaring in the Soyuz roughly half an hour before blast-off as the astronauts listened to their favourite music in preparation for the mission.

Friends and relatives on the ground hugged each other with relief as the news that the craft had entered space came through.

The Soyuz trio will join up with three astronauts already at the ISS – Scott Kelly of NASA and Russians Sergei Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko.