THE HAGUE - The Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers will leave for his second space expedition on Wednesday, being the second Dutchman in history to go to space, local media reported on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old Kuipers will start his journey at the missile base of Baikonoer in Kazachstan and travel to the International Space Station (ISS) by a Russian rocket.

During his six-month-stay at the ISS, the Dutch astronaut and doctor will take part in a series of experiments to test space diseases such as disorientation, blood pressure and headaches.

The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and other fields.