An additional Soyuz capsule could be built especially for commercial space tourists, the head of Russia's Energia space corporation said on Thursday.

"Construction of an additional Soyuz spaceship could start in the middle of the year," Vitaly Lopota said.

Energia currently manufactures four single-use three-man Soyuz capsules a year, but when the number is raised to five, it could resume space tours that it has put on hold for now.

Earlier in the year Russia halted space tourism to free capacity for the International Space Station flights.

Russia has doubled production of Soyuz capsules since 2009 from two to four as ISS crews increased from three to six.

MISSION CONTROL, March 18 (RIA Novosti)