Alexander Gerst waves farewell to family and friends

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst waves farewell to family and friends as he departs the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit-up for the Soyuz launch to the International Space Station.

Alexander Gerst launched into space on 6 June at 11:12 GMT alongside Roscosmos commander Sergei Prokopyev and NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Connect with Alexander via alexandergerst.esa.int and check out the mission blog for updates: blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst