Space fans will be able to get up close to Tim Peake's spacecraft when it lands in Manchester.

The astronaut's Soyuz capsule is coming here as part of a museum tour and families will be able to see it for free - scorch marks and all.

It was in June 2016 when Major Tim Peake returned to Earth in the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module.

He'd embarked on the Principia mission to the International Space Station the previous December and spent six months orbiting Earth.

Thanks to extraordinary leaps in communication technology, the world watched as he broadcast live experiments, walked in space and even 'ran' the London Marathon.

Now, thanks to the Science Museum Group’s partnership with Samsung, visitors have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a close look at this historic spacecraft - complete with scorch marks from its re-entry through the atmosphere.

Museum director Sally MacDonald said: " The Soyuz is an iconic item, and I am very excited that the Museum of Science and Industry is part of this incredible tour.

"We know our visitors have followed Tim Peake’s adventures closely, and this will be a fantastic opportunity of them to see first-hand the capsule that was part of his important mission.

"Manchester is the home of industry and innovation, and what could be a greater symbol of that than this important piece of the history of space travel?”

It's going to be on display in the museum's Great Western Warehouse from Saturday, March 10 until Sunday, May 13 and the exhibition is recommended for all ages.

A learning programme has been created to coincide with the capsule visit, aimed at Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils.

Find out more about the schools programme or booking an educational visit here .

And if you don't want to wait until the spacecraft arrives, the museum has another opportunity for families to join in some fun with a new Space Descent VR With Tim Peake experience.

It lets visitors join narrator Tim Peake for what promises to be an 'out-of-this-world virtual reality mission' that puts you in the pilot's seat of the Soyuz capsule.

Using the latest state-of-the-art Samsung Gear VR technology, you’ll get a 360° look inside the capsule and experience the thrill of retracing Tim's 400km journey as you land safely back on Earth.

Restricted to children age 13 plus, it costs £6 per person and is running daily from 10.30am to 4pm. Tickets can be booked online here .