British singer Sarah Brightman will become the first soprano in space when she travels to the International Space Station (ISS).
The recording artist - who hit the charts in 1978 with I Lost My
Heart To A Starship Trooper - said she was "realising her dream" with
the trip.
The classical singer will be the first space tourist since a hiatus
in the programme in 2009 and will travel in a three-person crew to the
ISS.
Brightman, who has starred in West End musicals including The Phantom
of the Opera, will find out her flight schedule shortly and will embark
on six months of training in Russia before the trip.
Flights are expected to continue next year.
She told a news conference in Moscow: "This voyage is a product of a
dream, my dream. Finally it can be a reality. I am more excited about
this than anything I have done in my life to date".
Other space tourists have included Cirque du Soleil founder Guy
Laliberte and British entrepreneur and video game developer Richard
Garriott.