Live coverage of the launch of British ESA astronaut Tim Peake to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
Observing
See the International Space Station over the UK
In recent nights, observers in the UK and Western Europe have seen the International Space Station (ISS) as a bright naked-eye ‘star’ moving slowly across the sky from west to east. On Thursday, 9 June, London is favoured for some close approaches of the ISS to the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. If you see the Station, spare a thought for Tim Peake and the Expedition 47 crew on board!
Picture This
In pictures: Tim Peake’s return to Earth
Picture This
Tim Peake’s ISS view of the waxing Moon
In this image we see the young lunar crescent as seen from the International Space Station by ESA astronaut Tim Peake on 9 February 2016. At the time of the photograph the Moon was just 1.2 days old. Features on the Earth-facing side of the Moon not directly illuminated by the Sun are glowing softly due to earthshine, light reflected onto the Moon from our planet.