Article Posted on : - Oct 08, 2010

A file photo of Soyuz TMA spacecraft.

BAIKONUR (BNS): Russia may put off the launch of its Soyuz TMA-20 manned spacecraft till 2011 as the vehicle has suffered damage during transportation.

The spacecraft’s descent vehicle was damaged while being transported to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, Ria Novosti reported, quoting a source.

The damaged part will be replaced with a new one, the source said.

The Soyuz spacecraft, scheduled to be launched by a Soyuz-FG carrier rocket on December 13, 2010, had arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday night.

It will send Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman and ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli to the International Space Station.