First day in space for British astronaut Tim Peake after his dramatic blast-off

Tim Peake began the routine of his first working day on the International Space Station after the drama of his blast-off.

The British astronaut was preparing for one of the 265 experiments he is scheduled to complete during his six-month stay. The Principia mission — the 46th expedition to the ISS — will study the effects of extremely low gravity on the human body and on new materials that can be used on earth.

In a live link to family and friends viewing on a cinema screen in Kazakhstan, Major Peake described the first of the 2,900 sunrises he will witness from space: “It was a beautiful launch, that sunrise was absolutely spectacular. We also got the benefit of a moonrise which was beautiful to see. To Europe and the UK, I hope you enjoyed the show.”

He gave a thumbs-up to his wife Rebecca, who said: “It was fantastic to watch that launch. Have a great mission. We love you.”

Major Peake climbed into the ISS with Russian Yuri Malenchenko and American Tim Kopra yesterday evening to be greeted by Nasa’s Scott Kelly and cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov. It followed a six-hour voyage on the Soyuz craft after lift-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

In a final drama, a technical hitch forced Commander Malenchenko to dock the capsule manually, using a crosshair targeting sight.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh congratulated Major Peake, a former army helicopter pilot, on his arrival at the ISS, which travels at 17,500mph, 250 miles above the Earth.

A statement on the British Monarchy Twitter account read: “Prince Philip and I are pleased to transmit our best wishes to Major Timothy Peake as he joins the International Space Station.

“We hope that Major Peake’s work will serve as an inspiration to a new generation of scientists and engineers. The thoughts and prayers of the whole country are with him and the crew, especially at this time of year.”