'Clown' tourist blasts into space

Space tourist and circus entrepreneur Guy Laliberte has begun his journey as the first "clown" into orbit.

The Canadian billionaire was aboard the Soyuz craft which blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Laliberte, who founded the Cirque do Soleil theatre company in the 1980s, reportedly paid $35m for his ticket.

He says he will make the ISS astronauts laugh during his 12-day stay, and produce a web event that highlights the issue of clean water for all.

He was accompanied in the Soyuz TM-16 spacecraft by Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev and US astronaut Jeffrey Williams.

I'm an artistic person and a creator. I'm not a scientific. I'm not an engineer Guy Laliberte Cirque du Soleil show in space

The vessel lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 0714 GMT.

The three-man crew is expected to arrive at the ISS on Friday.

The Canadian is the seventh private individual to make the trip. While previous tourists have emphasised science as a motivator, Mr Laliberte says his inspiration lies elsewhere.

"I'm an artistic person and a creator. I'm not a scientific. I'm not an engineer," he told the BBC this month.