A US businessman who has paid to be the first space tourist, Mr Dennis Tito, is due to make his flight to the International Space Station on Saturday. Mr Tito has paid around $20 million for the privilege of being taken into orbit aboard a Russian Proton rocket. On Monday he intends to enter the station and take part in life on board.
Mr Tito "will travel to the space station no matter what," the Russian Space Agency spokesman, Mr Sergei Gorbunov, said. "We will guarantee Mr Tito's safety during the flight."
His comments followed a statement by the US National Aeronatics and Space Administration (NASA) that talks were still under way on whether Mr Tito would be allowed to make the trip.
The NASA remarks contradicted earlier statements from the Russian agency that NASA and other space agencies had reached an agreement by telephone on the space journey.
The official insisted that European, Canadian and Japanese space agencies had agreed to Mr Tito's inclusion in the flight crew. The International Space Station is being built with the cooperation of the five agencies.
The US agency has expressed objections to Mr Tito (60), travelling to the space station over several weeks, saying it was "concerned about [his] level of training" and possible danger to the lives of the professional cosmonauts.