Tim Peake: British astronaut's space mission at a glance

This morning, Tim Peake is due to blast off in the Soyuz rocket, bound for the International Space Station. Here's what you need to know about his mission

Major Tim Peake is a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut who is part of a three person crew blasting off for the International Space Station (ISS) at 11.03 GMT on Tuesday 15 December. Peake was born in Chichester in 1972. He was a pilot in the Army Air Corp, and then an instructor flying Apache helicopters. After leaving the Army, he became a test pilot and then in 2009, he beat 8000 other applicants to be selected as an astronaut with ESA.