Article Posted on : - Mar 15, 2011

A file photo.

MOSCOW (AFP): Russia is delaying the planned launch of three astronauts to the International Space Station on March 30 due to a technical problem with the spacecraft, space agency Roscosmos said Monday.

The launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is of huge importance to Russia as it comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin on April 12.

Roscosmos said in a statement a technical problem with one of the Soyuz capsule's systems had been uncovered in testing and as a result the launch had been delayed "until a later date".

Roscosmos did not give a new launch date but the RIA Novosti news agency said delay would not be long and the launch could take place between April 5-7.

The Soyuz will deliver Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyayev and Andrei Borisenko and NASA astronaut Ronald Garan to the ISS.