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.