Tim Peake: UK astronaut heads for space station
The rocket carrying Briton Tim Peake on his landmark flight to the International Space Station has launched from Kazakhstan.
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The Soyuz space capsule is carrying Russian Yuri Malenchenko, American Tim Kopra and "Major Peake", who will spend six months on the station.
The former army pilot is making history as the first official UK astronaut.
Lift off occurred from the launch pad where, in 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.
Mr Peake will spend seven months on board the ISS where he will conduct a programme of scientific experiments and participate in educational activities designed to attract young people into science.
Zero gravity was reached by the Soyuz spacecraft after nine minutes of travel.
Docking at the ISS is scheduled to take place at 17:24 GMT (23:24 local time).
On arrival, the three crew will join the trio already on board, including Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly who is spending a year on the orbiting station as part of a medical research programme.
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Other Britons who have flown to orbit did so either as private individuals - Richard Garriott and Mark Shuttleworth - or by taking US citizenship and joining Nasa (Piers Sellers and Nicholas Patrick).
Another British-born Nasa astronaut, Michael Foale, already had dual citizenship through his US mother