Article Posted on : - Oct 03, 2009

The International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA

BAIKONUR (BNS): The Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft, carrying two astronauts and a space tourist, has docked with the International Space Station, Russian Mission Control has said.

The spaceship docked with the ISS at 12.35 Moscow time on Friday, Itar-Tass reported.

The space capsule had blasted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, carrying Expedition-21 crew members � Russia�s Maxim Surayev and USA�s Jeffrey Williams � to the space station. Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberte also joined the team as a space tourist.

Laliberte will return to Earth after eight days along with Russia�s Gennady Padalka and US� Michael Barratt who have been in the space station since March.

Williams and Surayev will stay in the ISS for six months.