Russia ignores US over space tourist

Mr Tito will lift off on Saturday if all goes to plan

Russia says it will go ahead with putting the first tourist into space even though America has not approved the project.

The space tourist, US multi-millionaire Dennis Tito, left for the launch pad at Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Monday.

Both my commander and flight engineer feel that we'll have a very successful flight

Dennis Tito

Mr Tito "will travel to the [International Space] station no matter what", Russian Space Agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov said.

The US space agency Nasa has opposed Mr Tito's flight, saying that he may be a danger to his fellow crew and to the ISS.

It said no final decision had been made, contradicting earlier reports from Moscow that it had already given the go-ahead.

"Until the partners have reached a consensus, we are not able to confirm any of the reports," spokeswoman Kirsten Larson said.

"We have been talking with all the partners, including the Russians ... Things are not resolved."

Tourist buoyant

"We will guarantee Mr Tito's safety during the flight," Mr Gorbunov told reporters on Monday.

Mr Tito is set to become the first space tourist

It is not clear whether Nasa could stop Mr Tito entering the space station if it wanted to.

Mr Tito himself was in a buoyant mood before leaving Star City, near Moscow.

"I feel very confident. Both my commander and flight engineer feel that we'll have a very successful flight," he said.

If all goes to plan, Mr Tito will be flown into space on a Russian Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by commander Talgat Musabayev and flight engineer Yuri Baturin on Saturday.

"I will be doing my own experiments, both stereo and video photography as well as stills photography. And also hope to enjoy the beautiful view of the Earth," he told journalists.

Mr Tito and his fellow cosmonauts are due to dock with the ISS two days after launch.

They will return to Earth on 5 May.

Insurance

The Russian space authorities have taken out a standard $100,000 dollar (£69,000) insurance policy on the lives of each of the three Soyuz crew, including Mr Tito, the Russian news agency Itar-Tass says.

The US space shuttle Endeavour is now docked with the platform and will undock on Saturday.

The station's current resident crew is commanded by a Russian, Yuri Usachev.

He is accompanied by US flight engineers James Voss and Susan Helms.

The trio are spending four and a half months aloft and are due to return to Earth on the Discovery shuttle in July.