Vladimir Gruzdev, a member of the ruling United Russia party and a wealthy businessman with a taste for adventure, is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in October 2008.

"Gruzdev has already undergone all the necessary medical tests. He is currently in the group of test astronauts and will definitely fly into space," Boris Gryzlov, head of United Russia, was quoted as saying.

The bill for the flight, which has averaged around 20 million dollars (14 million euros) for previous space tourists, will be picked up by United Russia as "our budget contribution to the space programme," Gryzlov said.

An official from Roskosmos, Russia's space agency, told Kommersant that Gruzdev would "take priority" over US computer game developer Richard Garriott, who is also scheduled to fly as a space tourist in October 2008.

Gruzdev, who took part in an expedition earlier this year to plant a flag on the North Pole seabed as a symbol of Russia's territorial claims in the Arctic, would be the world's sixth space tourist.

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