Video preview of Tim Peake’s spacewalk

Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman, received a congratulatory phone call from Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station during celebrations in London to mark the 25th anniversary of her historic mission to the Mir space station.

Live coverage of the launch of British ESA astronaut Tim Peake to the International Space Station. The three-man Expedition 46 crew led by five-time space flier Yuri Malenchenko will ride a Soyuz rocket into orbit, speeding away from a Kazakh launch pad on a six-hour chase of the International Space Station. Liftoff is occurred on time at 1103 GMT.

Next to the Moon and Venus, the International Space Station (ISS) can be the third brightest object in the nighttime sky. During the first ten days of August, the ISS is well placed for viewing before midnight for observers in the British Isles. We show you how, when and where to see it.