I caught up with David Parker, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, and asked him what Tim's successful launch meant for Britain.

He said: "It's massive for the UK space agency. It's the thing we've been working for and dreaming about for a very long time. It signals the UK rejoining the whole of the international space community."

Mr Parker was also excited thinking of the impact on young people:

Quote Message: It's fantastic to have kids all around the country watching this and... hopefully dreaming big dreams." It's fantastic to have kids all around the country watching this and... hopefully dreaming big dreams."

On whether the UK could sustain its involvement in human space flight beyond Tim's mission, he it was "too early" to say for sure.

"It's certainly what we'd like to happen. We need to see the impact from this project.

"As well as Tim's mission, there's the science that's going to happen on the space station even after Tim comes back - and there's technology being built in the UK that will go on the ISS in a few years' time."