Posted: Sun, Dec 12, 2004, 8:51 AM ET (1351 GMT)
An Italian ESA astronaut will fly on a Soyuz taxi mission to the ISS next year, with a Canadian serving as his backup, space agencies announced Friday. Roberto Vittori will fly as flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-6 in April 2005, along with the ISS Expedition 11 crew of Sergei Krikalev and John Phillips. He will return a week later on the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft currently docked to the ISS, along with the current ISS crew of Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov. Vittori took part in a similar taxi flight in April 2002. Vittori's backup will be Bob Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut who flew on one shuttle mission in 1996.

Related Links:

•  ESA press release
•  CSA press release