:00:28. > :00:33.British astronaut Tim Peake has blasted off to the International
:00:34. > :00:40.Space Station, his new home for the next six months.
:00:41. > :00:43.Thousands of you were glued to screens all over the country
:00:44. > :00:47.to watch the incredible moment the rocket took off.
:00:48. > :00:55.Five, four, three, two, one, liftoff!
:00:56. > :01:21.Speechless, I'm completely speechless.
:01:22. > :01:25.And when the rocket launched I was just amazed.
:01:26. > :01:33.To know that Tim is up there right now, is just fantastic.
:01:34. > :01:36.Tim said goodbye to his family before going on the mission he's
:01:37. > :01:44.Right now he's inside the tiny capsule hurtling into orbit.
:01:45. > :01:52.He walked confidently out of the cosmonauts' hotel.
:01:53. > :01:57.He will not be back on Earth for six months.
:01:58. > :02:00.With a final wave to his friends and family, he took a bus
:02:01. > :02:06.It has been a long journey to get to this
:02:07. > :02:11.There were last-minute medical tests, checks on the rocket,
:02:12. > :02:16.because the team needed to make sure everything was perfect for take-off.
:02:17. > :02:19.The three-man crew stood on the steps and waved before
:02:20. > :02:24.Then, just after 11, the countdown began.
:02:25. > :02:37.The engine fired and the 50 metre rocket
:02:38. > :02:42.The three men smiled inside as they were shaken
:02:43. > :02:49.You can see how much the capsule is vibrating.
:02:50. > :02:53.It is really inspirational to show that someone
:02:54. > :02:56.normal can achieve something extraordinary.
:02:57. > :02:58.The crew cannot move from their seats for six hours,
:02:59. > :03:03.The capsule needs to link up with the
:03:04. > :03:06.space station that is hurtling through space
:03:07. > :03:13.Tim Peake will spend about six months on the International Space
:03:14. > :03:23.Station, but his training has taken him six years.
:03:24. > :03:34.He has given me tenacity to keep going for my goals.
:03:35. > :03:37.I would like to see if he coul ddiscover a new planet
:03:38. > :03:40.Tim's mission makes him the first British astronaut to live
:03:41. > :03:44.Kind of proud that someone British has gone to
:03:45. > :03:50.It was pretty amazing that he came to our school.
:03:51. > :03:54.Check this out, a spectacular view of
:03:55. > :03:58.Earth that Tim Peake will be able to look out on from his new home 400
:03:59. > :04:07.And we want to know how you feel about Tim Peake being the first
:04:08. > :04:09.British astronaut to blast off to the International Space Station.
:04:10. > :04:13.Let us know on the Newsround website and we'll try to read some of them
:04:14. > :04:17.These are pictures from inside the capsule where Tim is preparing
:04:18. > :04:25.He's with Tim Kopra from Nasa and cosmonaut
:04:26. > :04:31.When the crew finally dock, they'll be expected to send
:04:32. > :04:34.a message back to the crews on the ground and his family to
:04:35. > :04:39.And go online to find out more about life in space
:04:40. > :04:45.and what experiments Tim will be doing for the next few months.
:04:46. > :04:49.It has been an incredible day. Thanks for sharing it with us.
:04:50. > :04:54.Bye-bye.