Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invited Lula during a visit to Brazil last November, is to host Lula at the Kremlin on Tuesday as part of the Brazilian leader's European tour.

"Three space agreements will be signed," Alexander Sant'Ana, an embassy spokesman, said Monday. "The first agreement concerns a Brazilian astronaut, the second cooperation between the Brazilian and Russian space agencies and the third the creation of a committee on space cooperation."

Marcos Pontes is set to become Brazil's first astronaut with a forthcoming flight to the International Space Station (ISS), for which he is being trained at Russia's Star City training centre, officials said.

"The Brazilian astronaut is already in Star City and has started his training," said Sergei Tafrov, a senior official at Star City.

The Brazilian space agency wants Pontes to blast off on a Soyuz rocket in April 2006 and has said it expects a firm date to be set by November 1.

The agreements to be signed Tuesday will include Russian "space technology assistance" to Brazil, which is setting up a space base at Alcantara in the northeast of the country, Sant'Ana said, without elaborating.

Lula was set to leave for Brazil later Tuesday.

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