The spacecraft which brought astronaut Tim Peake and his team to the International Space Station in 2015 will go on display at the Ulster Museum in 2019.

The Belfast venue will be the final stop on the UK wide tour for the Soyuz TMA-19M vessel.

The eight-stop tour - curated by the Science Museum Group and global technology firm Samsung - will kick off next month Bradford, England before visiting cities including Edinburgh, Cardiff and Manchester.

The spacecraft will complete its voyage when it lands in Belfast from February to May 2019.

Flight Engineer Peake was one of three astronauts on board the Russian-built Soyuz TMA-19M which flew the team to the International Space Station on December 15 2015 and returned them to Earth on June 18 2016.

Also on display at the Ulster Museum will be the Space Descent VR, which is a virtual reality adventure using Samsung Gear VR technology allowing visitors to experience the astronauts' space adventure.

Mr Peake said: “It is wonderful to be at the start of another incredible journey for this spacecraft, which took me on a life-changing journey and delivered me safely back to Earth.

"I’m particularly happy that people up and down the UK now have the opportunity to discover more about my Principia mission and space travel, and that the Science Museum Group – with the support of Samsung – are doing so much to inspire the public and schools in this tour."

Kathryn Thomson, Chief Executive of National Museums NI said the tour and VR adventure will attract thousands of visitors from across the island of Ireland.

“The Ulster Museum has grown an international reputation for the quality and diversity of its exhibitions and we are particularly pleased to have been chosen," she added.

"We are particularly delighted that Samsung’s amazing Space Descent VR will be at the Ulster Museum because this adds a dimension to the exhibition which brings visitors close to the space flight experience as lived by the astronauts on the journey home from the International Space Station.”

Ms Thomson continued: “The exhibition will offer a wonderful opportunity to showcase National Museums’ extensive natural science collections to visitors."

This is the first time that a Science Museum Group object has ever undertaken such a comprehensive tour of the UK.

Soyuz TMA-19M tour venues and dates:

National Science and Media Museum, Bradford - 26 September – 19 November 2017

Locomotion, Shildon - 22 November 2017 – 15 January 2018

National Railway Museum, York - 17 January – 8 March 2018

Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester - 10 March – 13 May 2018

National Museum Scotland, Edinburgh - May – August 2018

Competition winner venue - TBC

National Museum Wales, Cardiff - November 2018 – February 2019

Ulster Museum, Belfast - February – May 2019

Belfast Telegraph