Stargazers snap Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket as it streaks across the sky above the UK on its way to the International Space Station
- Excited Britons flocked to gardens and windows to watch Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket passing by this evening
- The rocket first passed the UK at 8.40pm but was far more visible on it second pass, coming around 10.15pm
- People all over the country shared photos of the rocket flying past, taking to social media to share excitement
- The International Space Station and the rocket both flew over Britain just after 10pm as fast-moving dots
Delighted Britons all over the country managed to snap a photo of the SpaceX rocket as it passed overhead this evening.
The rocket and the International Space Station passed over the UK near 10.15pm this evening, with excited stargazers flocking to take photos and video.
Images flooded in from all over the country, with people spotting the fast-moving dots marking the rocket and the ISS.
The rocket passed over Britain initially at 8.40pm, though most people missed it because of high light levels.
Its second pass, just after 10 and after sunset, was far more visible and captured by phones and camera across the nation.
Bat Barker told Mail Online: 'Got a lovely clear view of Space X Rocket from our garden in Surrey this evening at 10.30. What an incredible sight!!'
Graham Clark said: 'Not only did I see my first rocket I also saw the glimmer of light from the international space station which it was chasing after. Amazing to watch it on TV and in person.'







This excited stargazer managed to spot the rocket in the darkening sky over Bournemouth this evening as it flew towards the ISS
Laura Webster wrote: 'I saw the SpaceX Rocket from Bromley Cross, Bolton! It was a fast moving dot that reflected off the light as it passed just under the moon.'
The Falcon 9, the first manned space flight to leave US soil for nine years, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 8.22pm UK time (3.22pm Eastern Time) and will loop up to the International Space Station.
The historic space flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX is expected to pass low along the south-west of the UK skyline, with people in Britain able to see it for a few minutes travelling from West to East in the sky.
The launch is the first time a private company has put astronauts into space, and is the second attempt to launch after Wednesday's flight was aborted when Storm Bertha rolled in off the Gulf of Mexico, obstructing the flight path.
The rocket is expected to swoop low over the south-western horizon and zoom past the left side of the moon before disappearing.
UK astronaut Tim Peake tweeted earlier: 'You can see the @Space-Station pass over the UK tonight, 22:10 BST. Look west, low on the horizon & it will cross to the south east, passing beneath the moon. If @SpaceX launches, it will follow about 5 mins later. The sky will be too light to see SpX on 1st pass after launch.'




The rocket will be more visible to the UK at around 10.15pm. Astronaut Tim Peake said: 'Look west, low on the horizon & it will cross to the south east, passing beneath the moon'
After the launch, Tim Peake added: 'What a great launch and congratulations @SpaceX on making history. I loved watching the acceleration during the final minutes of launch - it's a crazy, crazy feeling being hurled up to 27000kmh!'
Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are now on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Crew Dragon capsule after separating from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket shortly after lift-off.
It will take them 19 hours to reach the space station, where they will join the three other residents - Nasa's Chris Cassidy and Russia's Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.
The mission, named Demo-2, has made Elon Musk's SpaceX the first private company to send humans into space, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel.








Excited children join their parents in front of TVs in the UK ahead of the launch of the rocket
The pair were due to travel on Wednesday but the mission was aborted less than 17 minutes before launch over concerns that the event could trigger lightning.
According to Nasa, the aim of the mission is to show SpaceX's ability to ferry astronauts to the space station and back safely.
It is the final major step required by SpaceX's astronaut carrier, the Crew Dragon, to get certified by Nasa's Commercial Crew Programme for more long-term manned missions to space.
The Crew Dragon is expected to rendezvous and dock with the space station on Sunday at 3.30pm UK time
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