A Soyuz-FG rocket has successfully lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today at 11:03 UTC carrying the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft into orbit. The craft carried first time spaceflight flier British astronaut Tim Peake, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra.

This is the first time an official British astronaut has been launched to the International Space Station, All three crew members are due to dock to the complex later this evening to begin their 6 month stay onboard.