Ex-army major becomes first British astronaut to take a space walk

LONDON: Tim Peake became the first astronaut representing Britain to carry out a space walk when he left the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, generating huge interest back in his homeland.

"Good luck to @astro_timpeake on today's space walk. The country will be watching you make history," Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter.



Peake, 43, a former army major, blasted off to the ISS as part of a six-month mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) in December, becoming the first Briton in space since Helen Sharman traveled on a Soviet spacecraft for eight days in 1991 and the first to do so under a British flag.

British astronaut Tim Peake leaves the International Space Station to take part in his first spacewalk January 15, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

Peake's mission has attracted widespread attention in Britain with his space walk beamed live on news channels.



The ESA said the space walk would last about six hours as Peake and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra replaced a failed Solar Shunt Unit, which transfers electrical power generated by solar panels.